The Alphabet Game EVAN AAML Style
by EVAN AAML
Summary: A series of one-shots based off of the alphabet with randomly selected words. AAML, possibly others.
1. Introduction

Well ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, fans of all ages. It is time for me to say that after nearly 2 years, I FINALLY have a story up for you all to read! Now let me say that once again, I am sorry for the wait. After I posted my "Return" story; I was prepared to post "The Lake House". But as usual, more things came up. The three biggest things were as followed.

1. "Grease"- Me and my fellow students at my high school were involved with a musical production of "Grease", based off of the original broadway version. I played Eugene, ( much to my dismay might I add. I am type-cast as comic relief cause I'm the funniest actor they have ). The production was amazing. But it was a dramatic one as well. Of the 51 students involved with the musical, 22 of them, ( myself included ) were seniors. Therefore, it was our last time ever stepping onto the stage. There were alot of tears and alot of good memories and I don't regret them in the least, ( not gonna lie though, didn't really cry. But I would have if I could ).

2. SUNY ESF- As you may have remembered from my last update, I was talking about going to SUNY ESF ( State University of New York- Environmental Science and Forestry ). Well unfortunately, I was not accepted to the college. I was placed on a waiting list because they recieved a record number of applicants ( just my luck ). So unless they change their minds at the last second, I'm stuck going to OCC ( Onondaga Community College ), untill I can transfer. This of course took alot of effort on my part. I plan on majoring in Environmental Biology, I'm a tree hugger you see, and I plan on doing alot of traveling in my future.

3. Sports- The smallest of my excuses. I am participating in Track this year and although it's an easy sport with little to do, track meets can last up to 6 hours at a time, possibly longer. So this will obviously remove alot of my excess time. At least it's not a sport where it involves alot of effort; then I'd be both busy AND tired.

Anyway, the reason why I am posting this story now is because "The Lake House" has been post-poned until my room is completely finished. My family decided to paint, re-arrange, and re-furnish my room. And since they don't know of the existence of EVAN AAML, I had to hide my stories until further notice. So I decided that, while I had the time, I'd post a "Alphabet Game" story. It seems to be a popular thing to do and it will give you all something to read while I'm working. Now please forgive me, I have been out of "work" for quite some time. And I'm worried that I may be out of the "AAML" craze as I once was. But I don't want to be. So if this story doesn't meet up to the romantic style I once had and expressed, then please let me know. I refuse to have my stories be lack of quality, especially with AAML.

Now then, I am unsure of the written down rules for the alphabet game, but this is what I will do. I will open a dictionary and, at random, pick a work beginning with the letter "A" and then so on and so forth. Now if the word is impossible to work with, I'll find a new one, but I will work my hardest to think of something for the words picked. Now since I'm not hand-writing these as traditionally, they may not be as good as normal. So I apologize for spelling mistakes, plot holes, or lack of details. And like I said, I'm rusty.

Now I have no idea how often this will be updated, so bear with me. Now next chapter, I will update with the letter "A", which, will be entittled...( pulls out dictionary and picks at random )...ANGER! Wow, perfect. I can easily make something out of that. Alright, I will be sure to get right to work on an idea for this. Now as you all know, these are just one-shots, so don't expect a masterpiece.

And until then, I will hope to hear from you all!

sincerely,  
evan, a fan of aaml

-EVAN AAML


	2. Anger

**Alright! Now that the end of the school year is coming up this Wed. for me, I have more time to work on my stories! I shall of course begin with this little story, which will be centered around my first word picked, "Anger". I'm sure that alot of you weren't expecting this update to be so late, (some of you possibly not at all!), but rest assured, I am a man of my word. And when I said I planned on updating this, I meant it! After thinking it through, I decided that I would make some of these one-shots more than a quick little story. This means that I may also add in another romance or two, including DAML, my usual secondary couple. But I digress, allow me to get started with what you have all been waiting for, my first story since "Eternal Darkness"!**

The room was quiet and dark; not a soul was present. The two bunk beds located across the room from each other were unmade, blankets sprawled and pillows unfluffed. Four backpacks layed under the beds, two on each side. On the window was a sticker of the official Pokemon league in Sinnoh, stating that they hope the guests have a wonderful time in the room. Suddenly, the door swung open, banging into the wall in its path. A young but experienced looking boy stormed into the room and quickly slammed the door closed upon entering. He quickly ripped off his hat and threw it onto the floor, not caring where it landed. He grabbed his hair and pulled on it in frustraition. He then yelled in anger and, with one mighty punch, hit the wall. A loud pounding sound echoed through the room. He pulled his fist away from the undamaged wall and looked at it. His fingerless gloves showed some white dust from the wall. His fingers were scratched and small blotches of blood bled through the gloves. He seemed uncaring of the matter and lowered his fist. The boy then dove onto the lower bunk bed, burrying his head into the pillow.

"All of that training...the struggles...and the badges...wasted!", the boy said to himself in the pillow. A lone tear then cascaded down his cheek and was quickly absorbed by the pillow. A few minutes went by without any other disturbances before the door knob to the room slowly turned. The boy on the bed remained still, his head still in the pillow as if he didn't know anything was happening. The door slowly creecked open and a head popped through the opening. By the light of the hallway, the person's face was visible. This person was a girl, roughly the same age as the boy on the bunk. Her red hair tied by a single ponytail on the side of her head. Her blue eyes looked soft, but concerned and worried. In the dark, she could not see very well and searched the room.

"Ash?...Ash, are you in here?", the girl asked the darkness. She then opened the door more, allowing the hall's light to fill the room enough to uncover the boy on the bed. The girl looked relieved to have found him, but her concern did not vanish. She opened the door completely and stepped in. By her feet, scurrying into the room was a small yellow mouse. Its bright red cheeks and pointed tail distinguishable to its body. The mouse looked up onto the bed and quickly hopped on it, sitting itself at the foot of the mattress. The girl walked towards a small bedside table near the window and turned on a lamp, dimly lighting the small bedroom. She then walked over and closed the door with a click. Knwoing that Ash was emotionally distressed, she walked over and sat herself on the bottom bunk opposite his. "Ash, we were all looking for you, we had no idea where you ran off to. Brock checked in at the Pokemon Center to get your Pokemon healed, Pikachu too...Ash, please answer me", The girl said softly. Ash did not stir. "Ash...I know that winning was important to you, but you can't...", before she could finish, Ash stirred.

"It wasn't important to me...it was everything to me!", Ash said. Although it was muffled by the pillow, it was still easy to hear. He then put his hand over the pillow to cover his face more. By doing this, the girl noticed his bleeding hand, which now covered most of his glove and spread down to his fingers. The girl gasped.

"Ash! What did you do to your hand! That could be broken!", the girl said as she rushed over to check on the hand.

"It's nothing", Ash said not moving. The girl still held his hand to see.

"This isn't nothing Ash, it's bleeding all over!", the girl said. As she lifted his hand, he yanked it away and immediatly sat up.

"IT'S NOTHING!", Ash yelled. The girl backed up, fear and worry in her eyes. Ash looked at her, suddenly feeling guilty. "Listen...Misty, I'm sorry, it's just...ERGH!", Ash yelled as he sat up and covered his face with his hands. "I have waited my whole life for a moment like this! I've trained for years, preparing for the chance to become a Pokemon master. I've traveled nearly every corner of this planet and have battled the toughest and strongest trainers there are. And after being invited to compete in the Pokemon master tournament, I felt that it was finally my time to reach my dreams. But then...I lose it all to a nobody IN THE FIRST BATTLE!", Ash yelled. Misty felt disheartened at his anger, Ash wasn't the type to hold a grudge this easily or for this long.

"Ash, you have to understand, things like this happen", Misty said.

"Not to me! Maybe they used to, but they shouldn't after all of this training! Everyone I've ever met said that I was destined for greatness, that I was virtually guaranteed to win this tournament!", Ash countered. Misty wasn't sure how to approach the situation, but she knew that she had to.

"But Ash, you have to think about it, he probably trained just as much as you did, and when you compare Pikachu to his Golem, it's not really a even fight", Misty said.

"Pikachu could have beaten it, he's beaten Golems before!", Ash yelled. Pikachu looked down in disappointment. Misty noticed this and looked at Ash more sternly now.

"Ash, it's not fair of you to lay the blame on Pikachu", Misty stated. Ash looked down the end of the bed to see Pikachu. Their eyes briefly met until Ash looked away, towards the window. He fell silent. "Listen, it's late Ash, and your hand isn't looking good, I say we head down to the Pokemon Center and see if Nurse Joy can take a look at it", Misty said. She then reached over to grasp Ash's hand when Ash slapped it away with his other hand.

"I'm fine!", Ash said, still looking out the window. Misty held the slapped hand, astounded. Then she became angry.

"Listen Ash! Just because you lost your first battle in the tournament doesn't mean you can take it out on me or Pikachu!", Misty exclaimed. Ash looked at her this time.

"Are you kidding me! I have the worst possible day of my life and you're yelling at me!", Ash yelled back. "You aren't me Misty, you wouldn't know what it felt like to lose in the first round when you were the hands on favorite! NOTHING ELSE MATTERS ANYMORE! EVERYTHING I'VE DONE WAS WASTED! EVERYTHING!...I might as well just retire right now", he continued. Now Misty stood up.

"So is that it! You're giving up! What happened to the Ash Ketchum I used to travel with! When he fell, he got back up, he fought on, he got stronger!", Misty retaliated.

"The Ash you knew wasn't as experienced!", Ash yelled back. There was silence in the room for a moment. Ash looked at Misty, who was at a lose for words. She couldn't believe that this was the same person that she had traveled with in her youth, that she had quickly become friends with...that she had fallen in love with. She kneeled down in front of Ash.

"Ash...why are you doing this? You shouldn't throw away everything you've worked so hard for just because you lost a battle. It's not fair to your Pokemon and it's not fair to you", Misty said. Ash looked at her. "We all care about you Ash, your mom, Prof. Oak, Brock, Tracy, May, Max, Dawn...me. We all want to see you triumph", she finished.

"I failed to see a triumph today, only failure", Ash reminded.

"The loss would only be a failure if you gave up. If you got back up and continued training then it's a triumph. We don't care how many battles you lose, because in the end we're all proud of you", Misty said. She put a hand on Ash's knee. Ash didn't bat it away, but merely looked down in acknowledgement. Misty then sat up on the bunk next to Ash. Pikachu moved over to Misty's side.

"Then answer me this Misty", Ash said still looking down. "Why did I lose in the first place?"

"Everything happens for a reason, if you were meant to win, then you would have. Obviously your destiny wasn't to win yet", Misty answered. Ash looked at her, the frustraition showing yet again.

"What's that supposed to mean! Are you saying that destiny wants me to be a loser!" Ash yelled. Misty shook her head.

"No, I think destiny wants you to train harder, to become the best of the best", Misty replied. Ash thought about this for a bit and then stood up. He paced around the room, thinking. Misty and Pikachu looked on, afraid to interupt him. Ash then leaned against the opposite bunk; holding onto the top half with his hands and looking down.

"This is alot to take in", Ash said to himself, although he knew Misty would hear him. Misty sat up and approached him.

"I know it is, but once you do, you'll succeed", Misty said. She then placed a hand on Ash's shoulder and smiled. Suddenly, Ash turned around and grabbed onto Misty, wrapping his arms around her waist. He burried his head in her neck and held her tightly. Misty was shocked at the sudden hug.

"Thank you Misty...thank you for doing all of this for me...I don't deserve a friend like you", Ash stated. Misty, after hearing these words, wrapped her own arms around Ash.

"Don't say things like that Ash, you know you do. You just have to get rid of all this anger", Misty said. Ash gave a very light chuckle.

"Big words coming from you of all people", Ash said. Misty smiled.

"That's the Ash I remember", Misty stated. Pikachu ran over to their feet and looked up at them, a smile evident on his furry face. For a moment none of the two noticed the little rodent; but soon Ash looked down and smiled.

"And thank you Pikachu for giving it everything you had, it wasn't fair of me to put so much on your shoulders", Ash said rubbing the top of Pikachu's head. He gave a slight purr to the soft rub.

"Come on Ash, we have to get going, everyone's wondering where you are", Misty said. Ash stood up and nodded. They both then made their way to the door. As Ash grabbed the handle, Misty noticed Ash's hand. "Ash, we still need to get your hand chekced out!", Misty remembered. Ash looked at it and nodded.

"I guess so, after all...I have to train tomorrow, and I wouldn't want anything slowing me down", Ash said with a smile. He then met eye contact with Misty. She smiled in turn.

"No, you wouldn't", Misty said. She then looked down at the ground to hid the blush that was showing. Ash realized that the light was still on and went over to the window to shut it off. As he did this, Misty noticed on the ground Ash's hat, still there from when he threw it. She bent down and picked it up, beating it slightly to remove any dust from it. As Ash walked back over, the room dark again, Misty gave the hat to him. Ash placed the hat back on his head and then grasped the doorknob. He opened the door and they both walked out into the light. Misty looked at Ash's face for a moment. She could see the determination and joy in his eyes, the same look that she used to see every day when they were younger. Misty wrapped herself around Ash's arm and rested her head on his shoulder. Ash smiled. The anger was gone. The three then left the room and Ash closed the door.

**Alright, my first readable work done after nearly 3 years! Can you believe it? Well I hoped you liked this little one-shot. And for those wondering, I plan on putting on "The Lake House" as soon as I can. Now I won't be able to update anytime this week because I still have exams and school the next 3 days. And then once school's done, I'm going to Boston for a senior field trip. So I apologize, but you'll all have to wait a little longer for the "B" chapter. So then, what do you think so far? Worse than before, better? Either way, be sure to review and favorite, I appreciate it! Now then, let me look through the dictionary and see what my next chapter shall be on! ( looks through dictionary ), and the word is..."better"! Easy enough. Ok then, as always, thank you and keep in touch! For now, I'm signing out!**

sincerely,  
evan, a fan of aaml

-EVAN AAML


	3. Better

**Well here I am again, I'm not gone yet. I realized just how long it was since I last updated and I decided that I had to update ASAP. I have no excuses this time, just alot of work to make up. But might I say, alot has happened to make my life better as of the last few weeks, but I'll talk about my life later on. So let's get started with my next chapter. The word this time is "better". So let's get rolling!**

The wind slightly picked up as the sun began to set, making the air crisp and cool. The fall weather made the distant trees glow in bright reds, golds, yellows, and oranges. Sitting on the edge of a cliff, their feet dangling over nothing but air were Ash and Misty. Their hands entwined and Misty's head rested on Ash's shoulder. They looked at the scenery ahead of them. Miles of trees, rivers, and mountains were in their view.

"I can't believe the day we've had", Misty stated. Ash smiled. "It was amazing, and this scenery only makes it better".

"I know, waking up this morning, I never knew it would turn out the way it did", Ash replied. "But even though it wasn't what I expected...I'm glad it happened". Misty smiled and gave him a small kiss on the cheeks.

"Well, you got a free breakfast, you saw your family and friends, you defeated 5 tough trainers, and you became the Pokemon League champion", Misty listed. Ash smiled and looked down at her.

"And of course, I finally managed to gather the courage to tell you that I love you, the toughest thing for me today", Ash stated. Misty smiled.

"It seems that everything was going your way today", Misty said. "The perfect ending to a perfect day I would say".

"Uh huh. Me and you, sitting here alone, overlooking this beauitful landscape", Ash said. "And tomorrow, we head home for our well deserved break".

"I'm glad that your mom didn't mind me staying at your house for the next day or two", Misty said. Ash gave a slight chuckle.

"Heh, after we told her that we were a couple, she nearly had a heart attack. She was so happy. I guess now she has a bigger family", Ash said.

"I wouldn't say that, after all, all of your friends are family now", Misty stated. Ash thought for a moment and then smiled.

"Yeah, you're right, we are all one big family aren't we?" Ash stated. Misty nodded. "By the way, why did you want to stay with me and my mom? Not that I'm complaining, but I was just wondering".

"I just want to spend some time with you before I head back to Cerulean. But the good news is that my sisters are now willing to take over the gym part time, so I'll have more free time on my hands". Misty said.

"That's...great! This day just got even better!", Ash exclaimed. Misty smiled and snuggled deeper into Ash's shoulder.

"I know...now we can spend more time together, like we used to when we were younger. It will be just like old times, except now we're more than just friends", Misty said, stating the end of the sentence slowly.

"Yeah...just like old times. You know, even though I miss the old days when we were kids, I'm looking forward to the future", Ash said. "Now that I'm a Pokemon League champion, I can work on what I've been wanting to do all my life, become Pokemon Master. It will be easy now, no more badges, gym leaders, I can travel where ever I want to train".

"And what will you do once you're Pokemon Master?", Misty asked. Ash looked at her and smiled.

"Well, once I've reached my childhood dream...I will work on my adult dream", Ash said.

"And what would that be Mr. Ketchum?", Misty asked with a smile. Ash leaned in closer to Misty, their lips only inches apart.

"Raising a family", Ash answered. He then leaned in and kissed Misty on the lips. After a few seconds they seperated and continued to look on at the landscape.

"I guess everything is looking up for you now", Misty said.

"Yeah, I guess so", Ash replied. As the couple watched the scenery before them, they were unaware of another presence. Several feet behind them, leaning against a tree and hidden by a large bush was Brock. He watched the scene with a smile, making sure that he would not be seen. Suddenly, another person walked towards Brock. He turned around briefly to see Tracy approach him. Brock then turned back to see Ash and Misty.

"Have you been here this whole time?" Tracy asked quietly, knowing that Brock was hiding. Brock nodded.

"Yeah, I saw them together and didn't have the heart to interupt the moment", Brock answered. Tracy nodded, understanding.

"Well when do you plan on telling him?" Tracy asked.

"When they decide to come back to the Pokemon Center, I'll pretend I just found them", Brock replied. "Is everyone else preparing for the surprise party?".

"Yeah, May and Drew finished the decorating and Dawn just informed me before I left that her and Mrs. Ketchum were almost done with all of the food", Tracy answered. "I still can't believe that Ash doesn't know what he accomplished!".

"Well that last trainer was pretty quiet about it, good thing he ran into me and Prof. Oak after the battle. Who would of thought that the current Pokemon Master was in the tournament", Brock said. Tracy nodded.

"When Ash finds out that he took the title with the victory he's gonna flip", Tracy exclaimed with a smile on his face. Brock nodded.

"Yeah, looks like things are getting better for Ash", Brock said with a smile as he watched the young couple before him.

**Well, that's the end of this chapter. I understand that it is probably the shortest chapter I have ever made for any story of mine, but truth be told, I couldn't think of anything else to add to it! Although I suppose watching Shark Week, (one of my all time favorite t.v. specials), while writing doesn't help any. I'm glad though that I at least have something now for you all to read. I noticed that alot of my regular readers have not reviewed the chapters for this story. I'm hoping they simply forgot to, I know it has been awhile but I intend to make up for lost time with my stories. But quite a bit has happened the last few weeks. I guess the biggest thing that has happened to me is sort of a personal one. This may sound a bit too personal for fan-fiction, but I finally managed to tell the girl of my dreams how I feel about her. I now understand why Ash has so much trouble telling Misty! Although she has yet to tell me how she feels, I am remaining positive, we're hanging out alot more and we've become very close. Another good thing is that I finally got myself a job. Although the job itself is a bad one, (washing dishes for a less than impressive hotel/restaurant), I work alot, so the money is good. All for college of course. But enough of my life, it doesn't interest you! I suppose then the only thing left to do is go through the dictionary and pick a word for my next letter, C. (Looks through dictionary and picks randomly)...and the word is, "confide". I like it! I am already thinking of a good thing for it. But instead of having a direct relationship in the next chapter, I'm thinking of making it more hinted than obvious. You'll see what I mean when the time comes. In the meanwhile, please, favorite, alert, and review this story! I will be looking forward to seeing what you all have to say! And I will be sure to respond back as soon as I can. Especially to my older fans and friends, who I miss so dearly! Until then, this is EVAN AAML, signing off!**

**sincerely,  
evan, a fan of aaml -EVAN AAML**


	4. Confide

**Ok, the word for today is "confide", how about we get right to it then huh?**

The Ketchum household was quiet for the majority of the day. Of course, the keyword here is the majority. Suddenly, yelling could be heard from downstairs, followed by running. Inside the house, a young girl ran into a bedroom and slammed the door behind her, panic stricken. She covered the door with her body, thinking that someone would try any second now to enter. Her face looked like she had just revealed her deepest darkest secret to a room of strangers. The red bandanna on her head slumped over slightly from the running. She panted heavily, her eyes wide opened and her legs trembling. She looked briefly at the door and then noticed that it had a lock on the handle. She flipped the lock and then layed down on the bed, still panting. The bedroom was a spare room that the Ketchums usually allowed visitors to sleep in. In this case, it was the room of May, the distraught girl. With her and Drew visiting Ash, she was given the spare room while Drew slept downstairs. Ash had invited many of his friends over for the next few days to hangout. Most of his friends were away and they would take a day or two to arrive. Misty was the first one to make it and she slept on the layout cot in Ash's room. May and Drew were in the area and arrived shortly afterwards. May buried her head into the bed sheets and tried to calm herself. She often over-reacted to many things and this was no exception. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. She panicked again and looked at the door in terror and someone tried to turn the knob. After realizing the door was locked, the turning stopped.

"Come on May, it's me, let me in, I want to talk to you", another girl voiced called out. May suddenly jumped off of the bed and reached for the door knob. But suddenly, she stopped and grew suspicious.

"Wait, who's with you?", May asked leaning towards the door to hear the other girl more clearly.

"No one is May, I wanted to have a girl on girl talk", the other girl said. May then quickly unlocked the door and swung it open. There she saw a red headed girl just barely taller than her. May grabbed the girl by her shirt, pulled her into the room, and looked around the hall before slamming the door shut again.

"May, what is the matter with you!", the red headed girl asked worried and shocked. May locked the door and tried to cover it with her body again.

"Misty, we've been friends for awhile right!", May asked. Misty nodded.

"Yeah, for a few years now", Misty answered, not realizing what this had to do with May's sudden panic attack.

"And as my girlfriend, you can always be trusted to keep a secret right?", May asked.

"Yes, why, what's the matter May?", Misty asked. May looked uncertain, but she soon relaxed, if only slightly.

"Can I confide something to you?", May asked. Misty looked now more curious than worried.

"Yes, of course you can. Is something wrong May? I mean, we were all downstairs just talking and then all of a sudden you flipped out when you and Drew briefly touched hands. All he was doing was trying to grab the same cookie as you were. I thought you got hurt or something in the reaction you gave. He asked what was wrong and then you flipped out and ran upstairs", Misty explained. May walked away from the door and approached Misty.

"Well, the reason why I acted like that was because...I secretly like Drew", May said Misty nodded.

"I kinda figured, I mean, we all like Drew", Misty said. May shook her head.

"No, I mean I LIKE like Drew", May stated. Misty gasped slightly.

"Oh!...oh, that's why you acted like that", Misty said. May nodded. She then sat down on the bed and looked down in a pathetic way.

"I probably just ruined any chance I had of getting with him. He probably thinks I'm a nut", May said. Misty looked at her sympathetically.

"Well I'm sure this incident won't ruin it for you, besides, I'm pretty sure Drew knew you were a nut well before today", Misty said with a smile. May laughed slightly. "Well, I wouldn't worry too much about it, I mean, Drew isn't the type of guy to completely ignore you now for this one moment. Just talk to him".

"I can't! After all of this I can't face him immediately!", May said worried. She then layed back on the bed, her gaze directed towards the ceiling fan spinning. The cool breeze felt nice on her face, but it didn't make her feel any more relaxed. Misty sighed in pity.

"Listen, I sort of know what you're going through, but I'm afraid I can't really help you too much with Drew. I don't know him well enough to know how to talk to him", Misty explained. May sighed.

"I know, it's unfair of me to ask you anyway. I know I should do it myself, I just...I don't know what to do", May said.

"Well, is it only your little flipout that is preventing you from talking to him?", Misty asked. May thought for a moment and shook her head.

"No, I have had this problem for awhile now. It's not too bad at the contests, but that's because we're both distracted, we both think more about the ribbon than we do each other. But now that the contest season is done with, we have had alot more time to hangout. Like, before we got here, me and Drew were at Celadon for some shopping. It was more my idea, we were in the area and I sort of dragged Drew along. While there, We were talking and then Drew said something that I didn't expect from him", May explained. Misty looked at her.

"What did he say?", Misty asked.

"He said that out of all the girls that he knows, that he likes to hang out with me the most", May answered. Misty smiled and sat down on the bed. She put a hand on May's knee.

"You see, that looks good. That means that he may like you too!", Misty reassured. May shrugged it off.

"I thought it too...that's why I didn't see the escalator in front of us and I tripped down them with 5 bags in hand. Everyone in the area started laughing at me. I felt so embarrassed", May replied. Misty sweatdropped. "It just seems that whenever we spend time together I ruin the moment".

"But that's what makes you you. You wouldn't want to pretend to be someone you aren't. And I bet Drew likes you for being yourself too", Misty reassured. May smiled.

"I guess so", May said. Misty then layed down next to May, looking at the ceiling fan. The spinning of the blades was the only noise in the room for about a minute until may spoke up. "I guess I should talk to Drew then huh?".

"I guess", Misty answered. Just as they both sat up and were about to leave the room, yelling could be heard from downstairs.

"Hey Misty! Me and Drew are gonna call Brock to tell him to come over, alright!", the voice yelled.

"Why are you asking me if it's alright! It's your house Ash!", Misty yelled back.

"I just wanted to let you know!", Ash yelled. A snickering could be heard from downstairs followed by a shut up from Ash. Misty smiled and shook her head.

"Sometimes I worry about that boy", Misty said. She then turned to face May. "Listen, I know that whatever you say will work out and that Drew won't hate you for your embarrassing moments. And I know that all of this will work out for you soon". May smiled.

"I know", May said reassuring herself. She then sat down on the bed with a finger to her chin in a thinking position. "Now then, what to say to him?".

"Hmm...how about "Drew, I love you"? That sound simple enough", Misty said with a chuckle. May laughed too.

"If only it were that easy...you know what, I'm just gonna do what I do for my contests", May said. Misty looked confused.

"And what's that?", Misty asked.

"Wing it and hope for the best", May answered. They both laughed. "I just hope that I can do this with Ash inviting all of our friends over. I wouldn't want alot of people around while I tell Drew all of this". Misty put a hand on May's shoulder.

"Don't worry, I'll help. I'll just make it so that you two are alone sometime during the day", Misty said.

"Thanks Misty, I appreciate it", May said. May sat up and then they both walked to the door. Misty flipped the lock on the knob and put her hand on it. Just before she turned it however she closed her eyes and smiled.

"Hey May, can I confide something to you?", Misty asked. May looked at her confused.

"Uh, sure. What is it?", May asked. Misty then turned the knob and opened the door.

"I secretly like Ash", Misty said. Both her and May smiled and they left the room.

**Alright, I'm done with this chapter, my best one if I do say so myself. OF COURSE I SAY SO MYSELF! I hope to read some more of your reviews, I'm looking forward to them. I still haven't heard from some of my older readers and would like to. Now then, I guess I will tell you all the little thing I plan on doing. I hope to be able to put up "The Lake House" sometime soon. And I'm hoping that with this that I will finally be able to go back to the glory days I once had forever ago. "Eternal Darkness" was somehow the best story of mine by reviews and favorites, but I'm hoping that "The Lake House" will break that record. I feel like this story will be my finest yet, but I need your help. So I ask you, will you read my new story and help me get back to the skill I once had before? I hope so. Oh, and while I was overlooking some of my older stories, I noticed that I haven't done something that I'm supposed to do, NARRATING MY NEXT CHAPTER! "With the "C"s done, will EVAN AAML be able to accomplish his goal of completing this story with all 27 letters! Find out next time on "The Alphabet Game - EVAN AAML Style!"...I guess this kind of story doesn't have the same impact as my other ones. I guess before I leave the only thing left to do is to pick the word for my next chapter! (Looks through the dictionary and picks a word at random)..."Decorate", alright then. To be honest, it wasn't my first choice, but the first one was a island off the Phillipines, and I don't use Earth stuff in the Pokemon world. But decorate will work! Until then, see you all later!**

**sincerely,  
evan, a fan of aaml -EVAN AAML**


	5. Decorate

**Hello everyone! How are you! With Thanksgiving fast approaching I decided to FINALLY update my Alphabet Game. Since "The Lake House" is almost done, (and sadly not doing as well as I thought popularity wise), there was nothing left to do. At the end of this chapter, I'll give you all a little heads up for some news of mine involving my stories. Until then, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Oh, and just so you all know, this chapter relates directly towards me and my family with Christmas. You cannot even begin to fathom our craziness.**

**-EVAN AAML**

"This...thing...is...HEAVY!". Those were the only words that could be heard from the Pokemon Master, known as Ash Ketcham. He loved the holiday season, and he loved decorating for it, but decorating an entire gym was new to him, and he officially did not like it. Since becoming Pokemon Master, he has had alot of free time on his hands. Although he still does a bit of traveling, it was all for the league, not for his own amusement. And the league was kind enough to give him a few months off for the end of the year holidays. So here he was, helping his best friend for many years Misty decorate the Cerulean Gym. Decorating a building the size of a gym is hard enough, but since they also do water shows there, it was to look twice a good; which means twice as much work. And Ash being a sucker for Misty in their older age gladly offered to help. He of course did not realize that this meant putting up several large fake trees all over the entrance and pool area. The one he had in his hands now was so big it completely covered his face, making it harder for him to talk. He stopped frequently to both rest and to see where he was going; since his view was nothing but little green pine needles, metal, and plastic. "Tell me again why you use like, 100 fake trees?". He directed this towards Misty, who carried a much smaller, (and still fake) wreath. As she looked for a place to put it, she answered.

"Because it saves the environment from tree hacking maniacs who don't know how to re-plant them and because it saves money. Besides, one live tree is maintenance enough, you want to water and clean up after dozens?", Misty asked.

"Well no...but then again, it's not my JOB to!", Ash stated. Misty gave him a scowl as he picked up the tree and walked forward with it, not exactly sure where he was going. As he walked, Misty shook her head in amusement and went back to the wreath. She really did appreciate Ash helping. Her and her sisters always took forever to put up the decorations. With her sisters all working downstairs at the aquarium and outside, she was put in charge with the pool area with Ash; which she did not mind in the least. Over the years she had developed a crush on the Pokemon Master. This little crush however quickly turned into love, which did not help her during her time away from Ash's travels. But ever since she watched him become Pokemon Master, he has had alot more time to spend with her, something she does not take lightly. As she day dreamed, someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around to see another boy, only this one was much taller and had darker skin.

"Hey Misty, where would you like the garland?", the tall boy asked.

"Oh, you can put that around the safety rails of the pool Brock", Misty answered. Brock also had a gym to decorate, but being a rock Pokemon gym, it sort of lacked the prettiness that this kind of gym openly showed. Add that to the fact that he has a dozen siblings, all wanting to help, he figured it would be best to let his father deal with it and spend his time with his closest friends.

"Ok, and what about the ribbons?", Brock asked. Misty thought for a moment

"Uhm...maybe around the", just before she could say what she had thought, a loud splash filled the gym. Misty and Brock looked to see large rings in the pool, all coming from the edge, where something big landed. A few seconds later, Ash breached the surface, spitting out water like a fountain.

"ARGH! I CAN'T SEE WHERE I'M GOING!", Ash yelled. Misty and Brock looked at each other.

"Good thing that one wasn't pre-lit", Brock explained. Misty nodded and then the two of them laughed. Tears streamed down their eyes at their friend's misfortunes. Ash swam to the edge of the pool and looked down under the water. "Well, it sunk to the bottom...actually, it landed upright too".

"You're gonna have to go get it Ash, we have custom made decorations for under water and that's not one of them", Misty explained. Ash huffed with annoyance but took a deep breath and dove under the water. Misty giggled as she tried to orient the hanging wreath to her liking.

"I still can't believe you haven't told him yet", Brock said. Misty kept her eyes on the wreath.

"He knows that theirs more trees to go", Misty stated. Brock shook his head.

"No, that's not what I mean. I mean about you and him", Brock said. Misty turned around and looked at the older boy's face. She could tell just by that what he meant. She blushed and went back to the already set wreath, attempting to look busy.

"I can't believe you're still on about that. You've been trying to get us together for years, for as long as I can remember", Misty said. Brock put down the garland momentarily and leaned against the wall next to Misty.

"Well, you're not together yet, so until then, I can't leave it be", Brock said. Misty sighed and turned to him.

"Listen, something this...important...it takes time. I want to tell him, you know that, but...it's complicated", Misty explained. She was slightly embarrassed to confide something like this into Brock and not another girl, but Brock already knew about it and she knew he could keep a secret. Just then, another splash could be heard, followed by gasping. Misty and Brock turned to see Ash come up for air, his arms under water. Misty turned to Brock. "Just keep it on the down-low for now". Brock nodded. Ash turned around to look at the water.

"Thanks Gyarados for your help, couldn't have done it without you!", Ash said. The large blue dragon Pokemon lifted his head from the water and smiled, roaring in pleasure. He then dove back under the water and Ash pulled himself out of the pool, holding onto the top of the tree. Brock ran over and helped Ash pull the tree out of the water. As they did, water poured out of the pores of the tree itself. "This thing is alot heavier with water in it", Ash said.

"No kidding", Brock replied. Ash turned to look at Misty.

"Why are all of the trees already put together, it makes them heavier", Ash said.

"Because then we don't have to keep assembling and dis-assembling them every year", Misty explained.

"What is it with you and thinking logically all of a sudden?", Ash asked as he picked up the still wet tree. Misty gave him a annoyed look, but let it slid, she enjoyed the little insults and arguments they had. With Brock directing, Ash quickly was able to put the tree on the opposite end of the pool and set it down. "FINALLY! Now what would you like me to do Mist?". Misty thought for a moment.

"Oh, you can help me put the smaller trees up there", Misty said pointing to the large windows well above the ground. Ash sweatdropped.

"You got to be kidding me", Ash said.

"There's enough room for small trees up there, we put them up every year", Misty explained. Brock gave Ash a sympathetic pat on the back with a grin and went to work on the garland. Within a few minutes, Ash and Misty had grabbed several small trees and a very tall ladder. Ash of course was chosen to go up the ladder and place the trees accordingly to Misty below. As he walked the tree up the ladder, he looked down at the red head. He smiled at her, thinking of all of the fun he was having. Although he was doing alot of work, it was worth it to him because he got to spend it with her. He felt guilty over the years not traveling with her more, like they used to. He had wanted to ask Misty out for about that long, but never worked up the courage. But now that he was Pokemon Master, he had alot more power, and by power, he means that he can choose who can go with him on his travels. He can easily hire someone to take over Misty's job while she's away. But he won't, because he knows how much Misty loves her job. So instead, he'll spend his time with her, which suited him just fine. But suddenly, Ash's walking stopped. He looked to see that the tree's foot was stuck to the ladder. He tried to move it, but found it difficult. He sighed and looked down to Misty.

"Hey Misty, it's stuck, I may need your help to move it", Ash said. Misty was slightly annoyed, but went up the ladder anyway. "I'm sorry, you know I wouldn't have you come up here if I didn't need your help", Ash explained. Misty looked up at him and smiled.

"No, it's fine Ash, I don't mind", Misty said. When she made it to the top of the ladder, both of the young adults tried to pry the tree loose. "Just be careful, if we pry too hard, then we'll fall off the ladder", Misty said.

"Right, either that or the foot ends up", as if on cue, the foot to the tree came loose and popped off. With them pulling on the no longer stuck tree, they fell back. Soon, Ash, Misty, and the tree were falling to the ground. The two of them screamed as they plummeted to the pool side. Before they did however, Ash quickly grabbed onto Misty and held her tight, putting him between her and the ground. The tree landed on the ground first, followed closely by Ash, who landed on top of it, and Misty, on top of him. Ash let out a yell of pain as he landed. Misty gasped and looked at the boy she fell on.

"Oh my god! Ash, are you ok! Please tell me you're alright!", Misty said worried. Brock quickly ran over as soon as they landed.

"You two alright!", Brock asked. Misty looked at Brock, worry in her eyes.

"I don't know if Ash is, he used himself as a shield for me", Misty said. Ash laughed through his teeth and looked at Misty with one eye open.

"I'm fine Misty, the tree broke my fall. I just need a ice pack or something for my back", Ash said through pain. Brock stood up.

"I have one in my car I think, let me get it", Brock said. And with that, he ran out of the pool area and towards the main entrance. Misty tried to get off of Ash, but Ash held onto her.

"No, wait...I kind of like this position", Ash said with a smirk. Misty was still worried but couldn't help but laugh.

"I guess you are alright then if you can make a joke like that", Misty said. Ash laughed.

"Now I know why people always find the holidays to be a pain", Ash said. Misty giggled at the bad joke. Ash looked at her and smiled. "You know, you're really cute when you laugh". Misty stopped laughing and looked at Ash. He smiled and lifted his hand to her face, moving some loose strands of hair out of it. "There you go, look at those eyes, man, they're beautiful".

"Ash, I think you hit your head harder than you thought", Misty said worried, although her heart was beating harder than ever from Ash's words.

"Maybe, but it's helping me think clearly", Ash explained. He then placed his other hand on Misty's chest, to feel her heart beat. "Wow, beating pretty fast isn't it?". Misty's heart beat faster at the contact. Her eyes widened as Ash moved both of his hands and used them to pull Misty closer to him.

"Ash...what are you doing?", Misty said barely through a whisper. She was finding it hard to talk.

"Helping you decorate", Ash said. He then closed his eyes and pulled Misty in for a kiss on the lips. If Misty was able to pull away she probably would have from shock, but she couldn't. Instead, she sighed and kissed back, making herself more comfortable on Ash. Alot of thoughts ran through Misty's head as they made out. Mostly she was relieved that they finally did what she was hoping for for years. She felt through Ash's hair as Ash kept himself wrapped around Misty's waist. Although Misty never wanted it to end, it did when they heard footsteps running into the gym. They stopped kissing to see Brock, who had stopped running and looked at them.

"Uh...", Brock managed to blurt out. He was at a loss for words. But soon he remembered Ash and ran to his side. "Here, place this on your back. Sorry for interupting, if the situation were different I'd let you...have your time", Brock said with a laugh. Misty punched him. She sat up to let Ash take the ice pack. He did so, looked at it, and then back at Brock.

"Thanks...why do I need this for my back?", Ash asked. Brock looked at him confused.

"Uh, cause you fell off that ladder onto this tree?", Brock said, slightly worried now. Ash looked up from where the ladder was and then on to the tree.

"I did! OW! JEEZ!", Ash yelled. Misty and Brock looked at each other.

"I think he needs to rest", Misty said.

"Yeah", Brock quickly agreed. They both stood up and helped Ash to his feet. They soon found out that Ash couldn't walk straight, so they helped him move. "I guess you'll have to continue your little make out session later", Brock joked. Misty blushed immensely.

"SHUT UP BROCK!", Misty said. Ash blushed as well and looked at Misty in shock.

"WE MADE OUT! WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN!", Ash yelled. Misty sweatdropped.

Decorating was a pain.

**Well, there you have it! I thought it was shorter than expected, but then again, it's supposed to be. I was hoping this would come out better than I expected, but I've been sort of distracted working by some more pressing matters in my life, something I won't get into. Well, let me quickly say what I have to so that I can work out the more pressing things. The important thing I wanted to talk about is that sometime soon, (although probably next year, after Christmas and such), I will be working on my Team Rocket story. Why does this make for important news? Well...it doesn't. But what DOES make for important news is that I need OCs for this, ALOT of OCs. So as such, instead of making tons of people off the top of my head, I will instead ask you, my fellow authors, to be them. Now I'm not gonna write this now, so don't send me your OCs at this review, odds are I will lose it and you won't be in the story. Now, out of fairness, I am sending this note specifically to those who have already been in my stories, Bitterswet Romanticide, ("Eternal Darkness"), prettygirl17, AshK, (name changed), and Carlo Santos, (all from "Power From Within"). This does NOT mean that you are not invited, it just means they get to make theirs first. Now then, I will sens out some special "permission slips" if you will to my closest author friends, ones whom I talk to alot. This won't be anytime soon, so if you don't get it within the week, relax. As for those who may not get one, just tell me you're interested and when the time comes, make your OC and send it to me. I will tell you what I need and don't need. Now then, that's out of the way, let's get to that next letter, E. (looks through dictionary and picks randomly). "Encourage" came up. Sounds like fun! Alright, until next time, this is EVAN AAML, signing off!**

**sincerely,  
evan, a fan of aaml -EVAN AAML**


	6. Encourage

**I know it's been awhile, but I decided to update this story along with "Christmas The Sequel". As a side note, alot of people have been asking me what stories I have in store for the future, which I will explain a little bit more after this chapter. But for now, let's begin with the chapter, "Encourage".**

**-EVAN AAML**

Looking at the beautiful scenery before her would normally be a distraction from the everyday, but not so much now. She leaned against the short rock wall separating her from the cliff below. The ocean and valley ahead of her seemed to glisten from the sunset now covering the island. The slight breeze blew her brown hair, at least, the hair that wasn't covered by her red bandanna. Leaning against the rock wall was May, who at the moment wished she had chosen a different profession. Contests were never a problem before for May; she had won and lost enough of them to do handle the competition in her sleep; but her friends had always been there for her before. Now she was alone, not even her little brother was there to cheer her on. They had only just begun their solo journeys a week ago and yet she was already regretting it. This would be her first contest without her friends in the stands to cheer her on. How she managed to get passed the first stage without them she'll never know. But the second stage, the battle stage, was soon to start and her nerves were getting the better of her. Because the contest was far away from the mainland, the competition was weeded out. Mostly locals competed in this contest, and none of them were anything to worry about. The only _real _competition came from her and...him.

"(sigh), Not even this amazing view is helping me", May said disappointed. Going outside to catch her breath and look at the view had helped her a few times before, but this time it did nothing to calm herself. Her elbows were beginning to ache from her weight on the concrete wall. She crossed one leg over the other, allowing it to casually bounce of the ground. Her fingers touched her cheek slightly has her hands held up her head. Her Pokemon were more than capable than handling the few competitors remaining, so why act so nervous?

"Beautiful sight isn't it?", someone asked. The sudden words shocked May, if only slightly. She turned around partially to see a familiar face, standing there and looking at her.

"It's definitely something", May responded to the green haired boy. She brought her attention back to the view as the green haired boy walked up and leaned against the rock wall as well. He leaned the same way she did, except that his arms were crossed on the wall, not holding up his head.

"So what's the matter? Miss your friends and brother?", the boy asked. May looked at him, confused.

"How did you know Drew?", May asked. Drew looked down and smiled, closing his eyes.

"I know you May, you only come out and see the scenery during a contest when you're nervous. And I just guessed that your friends and Max were the cause", Drew explained. May shook her head, never getting used to Drew's focus.

"Yeah, that's it exactly. I haven't had this problem since my first contest", May explained. Drew nodded.

"I'm not surprised", Drew replied. May turned to face the island once more, the sunset making her face red.

"I'm just nervous...my friends and family have always been there for me when I needed them, and now that I'm on my own...I don't think that I can do it. How do you manage?", May asked. Drew looked at her.

"Hmm?", Drew mumbled.

"I mean, you travel alone all the time, you never have anyone to talk to, except for me and some other people at contests...how does the stress not get to you?", May continued. Drew thought for a moment and then looked back to the scenery.

"Well, for one thing...I'm alot more capable of handling the small things than you", Drew stated mater of factly. May's face turned to that of annoyance as she stuck her tongue out at Drew. He merely smiled in his usual cocky manner. "But to be honest with you...it _does _get to me". May stopped sticking her tongue out at Drew, now even more interested in what Drew was talking about. He then looked down, away from the cliff. "The stress...it's alot to deal with". There was a moment of silence.

"...but then, how do you deal with it?", May asked. Drew looked at May, her confused yet innocent face penetrating him in a way he had grown accustomed to.

"I just ignore it. I wouldn't say it's the healthiest thing to do, but it works. I don't have friends to talk about it to and sub-coming to the stress wouldn't make me a good coordinator would it?", Drew explained. May looked at Drew as he turned away. She always figured that he just never got stressed out like she did, he was too cool for something like that. She was amazed that he really had the same problems as her. And in fact, she was glad that he did. It made him more human, not like the god that some people treat him as.

"But if you just ignore it, then you must need a booster of some sort?", May said. Drew looked at him. "What drives you to compete then?". Drew stopped leaning against the rock wall and faced May completely. May did the same.

"I encourage myself. I wake up every day saying to myself that I CAN do it, that I WON'T let it get to me, and that I WILL accomplish my goals", Drew explained.

"Encourage...", May whispered to herself. Drew nodded in agreement.

"It helps me calm my nerves when I'm about to enter a contest. It's the same for any Pokemon trainer. Ask Ash, I bet he does the same thing for his battles", Drew stated. May smiled. She thought it was funny that something so simple would not of crossed her mind to try. She leaned back against the rock wall, looking at the distance. Boats made their way across the ocean water as the wind made the tall grass in the hills sway and bend to their will. The few trees visible stood tall, as if soldiers standing guard on the island.

"Encouragement...I think it's funny that I never thought of that", May said. Drew laughed and leaned against the rock wall, his back to the scenery.

"It's so simple that it escapes us...that and you're not exactly the brightest bulb on the block", Drew commented. May only laughed slightly, not yelling angrily at Drew like he expected. There was another moment of silence, this one a bit longer than the first one. Drew watched as a little girl played with her Pokemon just outside the entrance to the building where the contest was being held. May suddenly spoke, taking Drew's attention off of the playing child.

"Thank you", May said. Drew tilted his head to look at May, who's eyes never left the distance. "Thank you for helping me out when I needed it". She then turned and looked at Drew, the side of her face brightened by the sunset in the distance and her always cheerful smile. Drew's mouth opened slightly as he was at a loss of words. He had always found May to be a beautiful girl, both in mind and body. But at that moment, he was not sure of what to do or even say. His heart skipped beats and he seemed to have hot/cold flashes. May smiled more, which only made the situation for Drew more awkward and uncomfortable.

"Uh...duh...no, no problem May...glad to, help", Drew finally stuttered out. May looked down at the ground, closing her eyes. She moved the hair out of her face, which moved slightly from the cool breeze. She then looked back up at Drew. Her face was slightly red, but Drew could not tell if that was from the red sun or from something else. May of course knew what was happening to her. She stepped forward slowly, nearly tripping over her own feet from nerves.

"So...I am getting a bit nervous again, could you perhaps...encourage me?", May asked. She stopped moving forward, keeping a hand on the rock wall for support. Her and Drew were only about two feet apart. Drew and May were both completely red now, although luckily the sunset hid the majority of it. Drew tried to act cool, but found it difficult.

"You know...it's hard enough to encourage myself...you're only making it worse", Drew said, stepping closer to May. May smiled.

"How so?", May asked.

"You want me to encourage you...but for what?", Drew asked. Now they were only a foot apart at best. They both stared at each other intently, their eyes not moving off of each other. Their eyes glistened from the light as the sunset began to grow smaller and smaller in the distance. The bit of light that was left sparkled in the little space that separated them from each other. May was the first to respond. She smiled and, with as much courage as she could muster for herself, spoke.

"If you wanted to kiss me...now would be the time to do it", May said. Drew could not believe the words that were coming out of her mouth, but even more, could not believe that he was now leaning closer to her. It was as if he had lost control of his body. May herself had the same problem as she leaned closer to Drew. Soon, the light that sparkled between them disappeared as they shared their first kiss together. Both of them were not sure of exactly where to go from there, so they kept the kiss going, not moving apart or making it deeper. After an eternity of being connected, May and Drew finally stopped the kiss. They looked into each other's eyes, their faces only a few inches apart. "...thanks for encouraging me to do what I've always wanted to do", May said. Now both Drew and May smiled.

"No problem", Drew said. He then stepped back and out of no where, (as was his fashion), pulled a rose out and handed it to May. "I encourage you to do what you thought was impossible before, and know that I'll always be there for you", Drew said. May smiled and accepted the rose, looking at it and then Drew lovingly. Drew, taking about all he could, turned around and began to walk away. His nerves were getting the better of him. "Oh, and I encourage you to work on that kiss too...loved the attempt, but thought it could of used more romance". Drew then began to continue his walk when suddenly, he felt someone grab him from behind. He turned his head to see his brunette haired love look him in the eyes, a smile on her face.

"Well I guess then I should get some practice in then huh?", May said. Drew smiled and nuzzled his head into May's. May jumped onto Drew's back and Drew held onto her arms that were wrapped around him. "Oh, and just so you know...now you don't have to encourage yourself, because you're going to have me to be there to encourage you for now on", May said. They both looked at each other and smiled. Drew leaned in and gave May and quick kiss. He then spun May around, causing her to laugh and scream at the same time. Now he carried her bridal style and looked her in the eyes.

"Well then, let's just go start encouraging each other, how about dinner?", Drew asked. May nuzzled into Drew's chest as he carried her off into the building, just as the sunset began to fade away in the distance.

**Well sorry for the delay everyone. It was in my deepest intentions to get this story out over a week ago, but I just got over having a nasty flu. I won't go into details, but let's just say that writing was the least of my concerns. Although this was a short story, I really liked it, especially considering it was DAML. I thought it was romantic and it meant alot to me. Anyway, I'm not sure exactly when I will update again, for my college classes begin again soon. That and my time is taken up by the love of my life, 3 But I digress. Anyway, as I stated earlier, alot of people are wondering and asking what stories I have in mind. Well let me be the first to say that ALOT is on my mind when it comes to what to write and not write. Some authors/readers have given me suggestions. I appreciate this but I have so many ideas as it is that quite frankly it's overwhelming. Right now currently I have in the "thinking stage"**

**-War story, involving soldiers and guns, a destroyed city, etc.  
-Pirate story with the help of "prettygirl17" (check her out, you may remember her as Alexi from "Power From Within"). This one has been in the works for awhile and is still in the thought process.  
****-"Power From Within" Sequel. Don't ask about it, I don't have a clue.  
-"Payback/Payback Returns" Sequel. Same as above.**

**I also have some stories that are in the "work stage".**

**-Team Rocket global takeover story, no title yet. This may come out sometime next month, March at the latest, hopefully.**

**That is the only one I will list because I still have this story AND my "Christmas" sequel to work with. Hopefully that will please you all for now. So with that settled, let's get going. Let me just grab this little dictionary here and see what my next chapter will be about...(grabs dictionary and picks word at random)..."Flea". Hmm, I'm thinking that Pikachu will have some importance in THIS chapter. Anyway, hope you liked it, and see you all later!**

**sincerely,  
evan, a fan of aaml -EVAN AAML**


	7. Fleas

**Happy (soon to be) Valentine's Day everyone! Hope you will all have a great holiday. I'll tell you all my updates at the end of this chapter. But some of them may possibly relate to you readers, so be sure to pay attention. Now let's begin with "Flea".**

**-EVAN AAML**

"Don't you wash him...like, at ALL!", Misty asked. She couldn't help but laugh at the unfortunate scene before her.

"Shut up Misty", Ash responded bluntly.

"You can't expect Pikachu to do it by himself do you?", Misty asked. Ash huffed in annoyance.

"Don't you have a gym to watch over?", Ash asked. Misty was being an irritant to Ash because of his lack of hygiene over Pikachu, who had suddenly become a host for tons of little pests. Even Pikachu was unsure of how he got fleas, and his reactions to the biting were less than pleasant. Pikachu had never had fleas before, since he always kept himself relatively clean despite Ash's lack of attention towards it. It's not that Ash didn't care for him, but that he always considered Pikachu to be clean enough to disregard it. But here he was now, on his knees in the Ketcham bathroom, scrubbing Pikachu down to the bone with soap and flea killer. Pikachu went from looking like a cute mouse to a drowned rat. Ash himself was covered in bubbles as well, being smart enough for once to remove his jacket and hat. Misty had originally come over to go out on a date with Ash, but felt that this was a better show than the movie they were planning on seeing.

"This wasn't exactly how I expected tonight to go", Misty said with a giggle. Although Ash felt bad for not being able to take her girlfriend out on their date which they had set for a week, he wasn't going to let it show. Mostly because Misty had been a nuisance since she arrived. Something he never got used to despite their many years of friendship.

"Well I'm not exactly thrilled about it either! I never had to do this with either of my other Pokemon", Ash said annoyed.

"Well fleas don't go for all types of Pokemon. I mean, can you REALLY see fleas attacking Totodile or Cyndaquil?", Misty asked. Ash couldn't argue with that logic.

"How did you get these anyway?", Ash asked Pikachu.

"Pika", Pikachu responded irritated. He was not a fan of the whole thing. Ash wasn't a gentle scrubber and the biting was beginning to get to him.

"Why couldn't Pikachu just electrocute the fleas off? That's what I thought her did anyway", Misty said. Ash shook his head and whipped sweat off his forehead.

"No, he never had them before. I thought the same thing and looked it up. I guess there are some fleas that evolved to be resistant to certain types of Pokemon", Ash explained. He stopped scrubbing Pikachu for a bit, which was all Pikachu needed. He shook quickly, spraying water and bubbles everywhere in the bathroom. Misty was quick enough to run out of the bathroom, but Ash was not as fortunate. He became soaked. When Pikachu finished shaking, he looked at Ash and sweatdropped. Ash gave a death glare at Pikachu and shook his head, much like a dog would when it was wet. Misty peeked in and after seeing the mess, started breaking into fits of laughter.

"I have to say, you look ADORABLE covered in bubbles", Misty said. Ash was not falling for the flattery.

"You know, you COULD make yourself useful and help me clean this up", Ash said. Misty shook her head.

"And get this nice outfit wet?", Misty said revealing her attire. Although they were only going out to a movie and dinner, she felt that it was an occasion to dress up. She wore a simple red dress, which Ash felt was a bit much because of her hair, but he knew nothing of fashion. And he DID think that she was the most beautiful person he knew. He smiled and stood up.

"I guess then that it's up to me huh?", Ash asked with a smile, knowing the answer. Misty smiled.

"You know I would help otherwise, but I have nothing to change into", Misty said. Ash smiled and looked at her with a goofy grin. Misty already knew where this was going. "And NO, that isn't an option". Misty said with a smile. Ash wasn't a pervert, but he when he saw an opportunity for a joke, he didn't miss it. Ash laughed and looked back at Pikachu. He hopped up on the side of the tub, but then slipped and fell back into the water, causing a small splash. Ash and Misty laughed more. Pikachu popped his head up, shook his head, (slightly this time), and blew bubbles into the air. Ash bent down and picked up Pikachu with a towel that wasn't wet. He placed him on the sink and dried him off, rubbing the towel into him as hard as he had scrubbed him. After he was done, he grabbed a comb and looked through Pikachu's fur. Misty smiled looking at poor Pikachu, completely poofy from the towel and embarrassed. Ash looked intently for any fleas for a few minutes, and then smiled.

"Well, looks like it worked. You're clean Pikachu", Ash stated. Pikachu sighed in relief and then hopped down off the sink and out of the bathroom. Probably to hide from the shame. Ash smiled and walked up to Misty, the now wet towel over his shoulder. "Listen, I'm sorry that we couldn't go out", Ash explained. Misty smiled and shook her head.

"It's not your fault. I'm actually glad you took responsibility and did this instead", Misty said. Ash then looked up and down Misty's body with a smile.

"You do look elegant though. I suppose then we should postpone to tomorrow?", Ash suggested. Misty looked up, as if in thought. She put a finger to her chin with a smile.

"Hmm, I MAY be open then", Misty said. Ash smiled and leaned in for a kiss, but Misty stopped him and stepped back slightly.

"Uh uh, you just did flea removal, how do I know that you don't have them now?", Misty asked. Ash gasped, realizing that this could possibly be the truth now.

"Well, I haven't been itching, I don't think I have them, what should I do!", Ash asked. Looking on his body as if he could see them.

"Take a shower and check. And then we'll see about tomorrow", Misty said. She blew a kiss to Ash and went down the hall. Ash smiled, happy over the feeling that Misty gave him. He then turned around and looked at the mess left behind by him and Pikachu. Towels and shampoo bottles all over; water sprayed onto the floor, mirrors, and walls; and bubbles as far as the eye can see. Ash sighed and looked down. It was going to be a long night.

Stupid fleas.

**Short and sweet. I know what you're thinking, it was too short. Well, although it's not my style to write one short like this, I felt that I wrote what I needed to. Now then, for updates. First off, I am thinking about putting "Christmas: The Sequel" on hiatus until next Christmas. I don't like the idea, but since the holiday season is over, it sort of makes you lose inspiration for thought. And I have alot to deal with lately, so I think it's for the best. I MIGHT update in July, you know "Christmas in July", just for the heck of it. My OTHER update is that I will soon be starting my Team Rocket take over story, (I am working on a title, harder than I thought). Now this one may interest you all because I will be placing in MANY OCs and I need your help. I will send out OC sheets to my author friends, ones who I talk to frequently and read my stories frequently. I already sent out a few today. Those who received them already will be more main cast OCs. I apologize if you feel left out, but I have my reasons for sending them to these specific authors. That doesn't mean that you won't get in. Like I said, I will need alot of them, and this story will be long. That being said, I will have to make some restrictions. This is going to be a darker story, possibly as dark as "Eternal Darkness". That means that people WILL die. And there are some authors who don't like death. So I will personally send out the OC sheets, if you get one, follow the instructions that follow. If you don't, be patient. I will send them out as the story progresses, whenever I need a OC added in. And please don't ask to be in it quite yet. It's not that I won't accept it if you do, but I already have some thoughts down and I don't want people to get annoyed if they feel I am ignoring them. I will send out the OC sheets sometime within the week. If you have any questions, please ask. AND PLEASE REVIEW! I only got one from the last one, and I wrote it last month! Alright, now that I went on my typical rant, I will leave you be. Hope you have a great Valentine's Day!**

**sincerely,  
evan, a fan of aaml -EVAN AAML**


	8. Gorgeous

**My goodness it's been awhile hasn't it! My apologies if you all have been wanting an update to this story! I have been so busy writing my newest story "R" that I haven't had a lot of time to work on this one! Well, I have some free time at the moment, coffee in hand, and some ideas in my head, so let's get started! I realized not to long ago that I forgot to tell you all what word I will use for the next chapter! Well, I literally picked it about 5 minutes ago, so pretty much this ENTIRE chapter will be improvised. So, let's get started with my newest word, (which you all already know since it's the name of the chapter), "Gorgeous".**

**-EVAN AAML**

"What's taking her so long?", Gary asked, looking at his wrist watch impatiently.

"We're gonna be late!", Tracy stated. Ash sighed. This was one of the MANY things about females he never understood, why did they take so long to get dressed?

"I don't know what's taking her! You girls couldn't get ready at the same time?", Ash asked. Dawn and May looked at him with some annoyance in their eyes.

"You only have one bathroom in this entire house! Of course we couldn't!", May yelled.

"Plus we had to bring our own make-up and hair dryer!", Dawn threw in. Ash sweatdropped. Ash and his friends were all cordially invited to attend a special party at Prof. Oak's lab. Although the party was more for scientists around the Pokemon world, it was also a chance for Ash to meet some old friends and have a great time. But of course, much to Ash's dismay, it was a formal party, so everyone had to dress up. The guys of course only took about half an hour to get ready entirely. Ash's mom had picked out their tuxedos accordingly to their respective dates. Ash hated wearing ties and dress shoes, but it was only for a couple of hours, he'd manage.

What he _couldn't _manage on the other hand was having to wait for Misty to get ready. The girls all had to change upstairs while the guys changed downstairs, which once again wasn't a problem. But of course, all three girls had to take FOREVER to get ready, and now they were running late. Drew leaned against the back of Ash's couch, impatiently tapping his shoes on the ground.

"Remind me why I had to come to this event?", Drew asked. May turned to him and huffed annoyed.

"I TOLD you! We all needed dates for this! I thought you loved going to formal parties!", May said. Drew flipped his hair back.

"I do...but not with you", Drew replied. May stomped angrily on the ground, her face matching her fire red dress. It was a beautiful dress that sparkled in the light of the living room. It was held up by two small straps and had a cut towards the bottom, revealing her silky smooth legs. She also had a red hair piece that went with it. Because of Drew's green eyes and hair, it was impossible to get him to look good in a red vested tux, so Mrs. Ketchum settles with a green one. Christmas colors matched anyway she said.

Dawn wore a dress that was just as bright as May's; but it was a bell dress and was pink in color. The bottom was completely poofy and was off the ground by only a few centimeters. The pink from her chest up was a little bit darker in color and she wore a pick headband as well. She stood by the Kitchen, making sure no one was close enough to stand on the ends of her expensive outfit. Max matched her perfectly with a light pink vested tux. Tracy wore a yellow vested tux, Gary a bright pink, and Brock a violet. They were going to go with Misty's sisters, who were of course more than happy to attend a party as extravagant as this. Just one more excuse to go shopping and dress up. They decided to get ready at their home and meet them there. Good planning on their part; they would NEVER leave if they got ready here as well.

"Alright, if she's not down here in five minutes, I'm leaving without her!", Gary decided, still looking at his wrist watch.

"She'll be here! I promise!", Ash said. He didn't really promise, in fact, he was going to leave with Gary if she took to long. Ash didn't really want to go with Misty, it just sort of...happened. He didn't mind it to much, if it weren't for everyone picking on him about it. You would think that by now people would of realized that they weren't a couple. Ash sighed. They would never let him live this down if they ended up missing the party because of her. Suddenly, music began to play. Brock dug into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone, he backed up from the others and quietly talked into it.

"You know, she probably isn't even in her dress yet, guarantee it in fact. She's probably JUST getting out of the shower!", Gary said.

"No, that couldn't be it, we heard the water stop running from the shower an hour ago", Tracy said. Drew scoffed.

"Maybe she burnt her hair on the curling iron", Drew said. May turned and slapped him in the knee.

"Don't even _joke _about that! That's a nightmare!", May yelled. Drew shook his head and rolled his eyes. Brock approached the gang.

"That was Violet guys, they'll be there in a couple minutes. If we leave now we can just meet them at the door", Brock said. Gary sighed in relief.

"Thank Arceus! We don't have to sit around here!", Gary said relieved. Tracy shrugged.

"Oh well, we'll see her in her dress at the lab anyway. Let's get going then, I don't want to upset Daisy again. She still hasn't completely forgiven me for missing our last date", Tracy said. Brock nodded.

"Right, who's coming and who's staying?", Brock asked. Drew stood up, but then May pushed him back down against the back of the couch.

"We're staying! I want to see Misty in her outfit, and you're NOT gonna leave me alone!", May said. Drew threw his hands up in the air in annoyance, but then crossed his arms and mumbled to himself. There was no point in arguing with her. Dawn turned to Max, who leaned against a large curio cabinet.

"Do you mind waiting here for Misty?", Dawn asked. Max smiled.

"Nope, no problem at all!", Max said. Dawn smiled at Max.

"Thank you!", Dawn said. Max smiled back. Truth be told he didn't really even want to go to the party. He was never much of a social Butterfree. But it was a good excuse for him to meet a bunch of his favorite professors, and he got to hang out with Dawn. They weren't a couple per say, but they might as well of been. They were probably only waiting to get older for a relationship.

Ash sighed. He _really _wanted to leave with the guys, like, _real badly_. But he knew that he shouldn't. It wouldn't be nice to leave on Misty, even if they were only going as friends to the party. And truth be told, he really did want to see her in her dress. Not because he thought that she was cute or anything, that would be weird. Who would admit that their best friend was cute? Not Ash, never. True, he had always felt a weird feeling in his body when he saw Misty in a dress or bikini, but that was just...hunger pains. Yeah, that was it. It couldn't be anything more than that. Gary walked up to Ash and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Well, smell ya later Ashy boy, and by later, I mean like, hours later", Gary said snobbishly. Ash wanted to deck him in the face, but that wouldn't be nice either. He was trying to act civil today, and punching Gary in the face wouldn't be very civil. Besides, they tried to put their past behind them. They weren't major rivals anymore. Gary, Tracy, and Brock then waved goodbye.

"See ya at the party. Tell Misty we're sorry we left on her", Brock said. The three boys then walked out of the house and closed the door behind them. The rest of the house was silent, with the exception of Drew's constant tapping of his shoe. May was tempted to stomp on him with her heels, but it could very well break them, so she waited. He wasn't worth it anyway. She'd get him back later, when no one was looking. Ash looked at the clock on the wall in the living room. Eight thirty, they were half an hour late so far. Not too bad, but he knew it would be longer still.

"I knew this was going to be a pain in the butt. I knew it!", Ash thought to himself. "Misty always took forever to get ready. She did the same thing when we went to that Pokemon League party!". They were dates then too, and she took forever. The only difference was they were at her house, so she had more time to prepare. "Maybe I should go up and check on her. I sent Pikachu up there to do that, what was taking _him _so long! Probably being held hostage by Misty. I guess I should check on her...but what if she isn't dressed yet? What if I walk in on her and she's naked!...That would be nice. WAIT! NICE? WHAT AM I THINKING! That wouldn't be nice! I don't want to see her naked!...That soft, elegant skin just begging to be caressed...ARGH! HUNGER PAINS!".

Suddenly, they all heard something. It was the sound of footsteps. They all looked up at the stairs in anticipation. First, Pikachu hopped down the first few steps and looked at the gang with a smile on his face. He wore a simple black bow-tie for the dance. The girls thought he looked adorable and even joked that he would make a better date to the dance than who they picked. He then straightened up and extended his paws to the top of the stairs, as if he was making an entrance for Misty. Then, Ash saw the first part of Misty. Her foot in a light blue heel. His heart started beating harder and faster in anticipation. He tugged on his tie to let himself breath. Pikachu hopped completely down the stairs and made it to Ash's side as Misty came down completely. Ash and the girls gasped.

She wore a strap-less cerulean dress that just fit perfectly on her body. Like May's, it had the slit down the side, but wasn't as long as hers. It sparkled in the light as well, like rain on a sunny day. What Ash noticed the most though was her hair. It was let down. It reminded him of the festival at Maiden's Peak. His heart skipped a beat or two and he began to sweat slightly. She stepped down from the final step and approached the gang.

"Well...what do you think?", Misty asked. May and Dawn gawked over the dress.

"You look stunning!", May said amazed.

"I agree! That looks amazing!", Dawn agreed. Misty looked at Ash with a smile.

"What about you Ash? Sorry I took so long, I wanted to get my outfit just right", Misty said. Ash couldn't answer. He stuttered slightly, his mouth wide and eyes wide open. He felt his body get hot suddenly and he twitched ever so lightly here and there. Misty stared at him, a blush lightly covering her face.

"Yeah, you're real pretty, now can we get going now?", Drew asked. He stood up and began to walk out to the door. May sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry guys, he's just impatient. I guess we should get going though", May said. She then huffed and walked outside, where Drew was waiting for them. Max walked up to Dawn's side and held his arm out for her.

"Shall we?", Max asked. Dawn giggled and wrapped her arm around his.

"Yes, let's", Dawn said. Max then led Dawn outside with May and Drew. Pikachu looked up to Ash and smiled.

"Pika!", Pikachu said. He then winked and scurried outside as well. Misty watched him leave and then glanced at Ash. His eyes were still set on her and her outfit. She blushed a little bit more and coughed.

"Well, I guess we should go as well huh?", Misty said. Ash didn't respond. She took that as a yes. She began to walk towards the door, her heels clicking on the wooden floor. Suddenly Ash snapped out of his trance and shook his head.

"WAIT!", Ash yelled. Misty stopped and turned to face him. Looking at her again made him get nervous once more.

"Yes?", Misty asked.

"Uhm...Mist, you...you look", Ash began. Misty smiled.

"Let me guess, funny? Weird? Like a fish out of water?", Misty guessed. Ash shook his head.

"No...you look...gorgeous", Ash replied. Misty looked at Ash in shock. She had not expected this kind of response from him. Not that she didn't like it, in fact, she loved it. She had spent this entire time making sure that she looked positively stunning for Ash. She didn't like dressing up, in fact she rarely did it. Only for occasions that called for it. But now that she was older, she realized what an affect dressing up would have on the opposite sex. Of course, the only one that she wanted to impress what Ash. She blushed immensely.

"Th...thank you Ash. You have _no _idea what that means...to me", Misty said. Ash smiled lightly.

"No...problem", Ash said. Misty looked behind her towards the door. When she noticed that no one was looking, she walked over to Ash. He watched almost in a panic as she approached him slowly, her face getting closer to his.

"You know...I purposely took my time...to make sure I looked my best...for you", Misty said with a blush. Ash very slightly bent back as Misty leaned forward. She walked her fingers up his chest very slowly.

Hunger pains were a killer.

"Uhm...wha, what are you doing Mist?", Ash asked. Misty blushed even more.

"I wanted to thank you...for calling me gorgeous", Misty replied. She then quickly leaned forward completely and kissed Ash on the cheek. Both Ash and Misty's face turned bright red from blushing. Misty leaned back and then glanced outside. They hadn't noticed anything. "Uhm...I guess we should get going now huh?", Misty said. Ash was still in shock from the kiss. He didn't respond. He did however make a goofy grin. Misty turned and began to walk towards the door when suddenly she felt something grab her hand. It stopped her in her tracks. She turned and looked to see Ash holding her hand with a smile. This confused her a bit. "What are you", before she could finish, Ash had quickly pulled her towards him.

The sudden tug caused Misty to nearly lose her balance from her heels. She fell forward and was caught by Ash. She looked up to see Ash looking deep into her eyes. She was limp in his his arms upon seeing his close up chocolate eyes. Ash smiled and lifted her just enough to be closer to her face. Their breathing could be felt on each others face.

"You know, as close as a friend I've been to you, I've never realized just...how beautiful you really are", Ash said. Misty's face turned as red as May's dress.

"R...really?", Misty asked. Ash nodded.

"Yeah", Ash said. He then placed one arm on Misty's lower back and, using the hand he caught Misty with, lifted her up to his lips. He pressed them together and that was that. Both of their hearts beat immensely and their bodies seemed to get hotter and hotter. Misty sighed in the kiss and then used her free hand to hold the back of Ash's head, pushing it closer to hers to make the kiss deeper.

"Gurgish", Ash said while still having his lips pressed against Misty's. Misty smiled and pulled apart from him.

"What was that? Didn't quite get it", Misty said. Ash smiled.

"Gorgeous", Ash said. Misty smiled and they shared another kiss.

**Huh, that took longer than I thought. I live lake front on a place called Oneida Lake in Central New York, and the ice on it is melting and moving. They're like glaciers really, it's pretty cool. They're crashing against trees in the water and on land and making quite a racket. Anyway, hope you liked this chapter update. I know it's been awhile coming. I liked the whole idea of this chapter, but since the entire thing was pretty much improvised, I don't think it was that well written. Oh well, a pity. Well, I guess the only thing to do now is pick a new letter from the dictionary and see what my next chapter will be on!..."Heat"...oh boy. I already have two ideas on where this one could lead, and let's just say that for both of them it isn't exactly child friendly! Well, hope you liked this, and be sure to be on the look out for updates on "The Alphabet Game-EVAN AAML Style", and "R"! Farewell!**

**sincerely,  
evan, a fan of aaml -EVAN AAML**


	9. Heat

**Before you pinch yourself to see if this is really happening, yes, I am actually updating this story! I have been very busy as of late, college just ended for the semester, I've been working hard on "R", and I've had some personal issues to deal with. But now it's summer for me, I've dealt with my little problems, and everything's good! Now then, let's get started on the chapter "Heat"...if you have any small children within the vicinity, I'd suggest covering their eyes. Or not, I'll make it as friendly as I can.**

**-EVAN AAML**

"I don't think we're gonna make it Ash".

"SHUT UP, DON'T SAY THAT! Just...don't".

Although he didn't want Misty to admit to it, there was a possibility that they, in fact weren't going to survive this ordeal. How they managed to survive the last few hours was nothing short of a miracle. They were all traveling together, Ash, Misty, Brock, and Pikachu; going through Kanto and collecting badges for Ash's Pokemon League appearance. They were going through a mountain pass which was bitter cold and dangerous. But it was the only way around the area. As they made their way through, the worst happened.

Avalanche

There was barely anytime to yell out the words before it was on top of them. The avalanche itself was not very big, it just started a little bit farther up the mountain. But that didn't matter. Misty was trailing behind the group when it happened. She was the one who was in the most danger. Ash immediately knew this and went into action. He ran as fast as he could, so fast in fact that Pikachu fell off of his shoulder and onto the ground near Brock. Ash dove towards Misty and held onto her just as the snow covered them and dragged them both down the mountain.

Neither of them really knew what happened afterwards. All they could remember was being tossed around like a rag doll, snow everywhere. It was cold, and it hurt. They felt like they were being crushed. But then, suddenly, nothing. They knew that the avalanche had stopped, but were too scared and shocked to do anything. After what felt like an eternity, they managed to check their surroundings.

Somehow, the avalanche buried them in a cave of snow. There was only about ten feet for them to move around, and who knows how much snow above them. They didn't know how far they had fallen, they didn't know if Brock and Pikachu managed to escape the snow,

They didn't know how much longer they would last.

Misty was stricken with fear, which was to be expected. No one thinks any life threatening situation is as bad as it sounds until you're in it. Considering everything they had all been through on this journey, an avalanche seemed like a walk in the park. Only it wasn't, not even close.

Ash refused to believe that their lives would here and now, he wouldn't let it. There was too much riding on this for him. If it was just him, alone, it wouldn't be as bad. But he wasn't alone.

Misty was there.

"Ash...", Misty said. Ash turned to look at her. Both of them were hugging their bodies for warmth. The Pokemon Center had supplied them with very warm jackets and pants, but they weren't meant for this kind of temperature drop. Misty had her legs curled up and she wrapped her arms around them. Her dark blue jacket almost blended in with the now dark snow around them. "I...I don't think".

"MISTY! ENOUGH! I REFUSE TO LET YOU THINK THAT WE'RE GOING TO DIE HERE!", Ash yelled. His face was as red as his jacket, although it wasn't from anger. In fact, he couldn't really feel his face at all. He wasn't mad at Misty really. They argued constantly, but it was rare that they would actually be angry at each other. Ash just couldn't bare to think of her giving up already. He never knew her to give up on anything, especially when lives were on the line.

"But Ash. How are we gonna get out of this? Our only hope is that Brock and Pikachu made it out alive and that they're getting help. And they don't even know where we are", Misty said. Ash tried to think hard for a solution. They could use their Pokemon! No, maybe not. Water Pokemon would freeze in this temperature, so that took out Squirtle and all of Misty's Pokemon. Grass and Flying types wouldn't be much help either, so that took out Bulbasaur and Pidgeotto. Charmander? No. He would be the most use, but the cave would surely collapse on them if it warmed up the cave too much. They were out of luck.

They needed heat.

"I don't know how we're gonna get out, but I know that we're going to! Please Misty, don't give up on me!", Ash said. Misty looked at Ash. She loved the admiration that he had, both for his Pokemon and his friends. It was one of the reasons why she wanted to travel with him. He made her happy, he was just an amazing person altogether. She wanted to smile, she wanted to agree with him, to say that "you're right, we'll get through this together!". But then she would be lying to herself. She couldn't see how they would last the hour, and who knows what time it really was. They could of been buried for hours as it was. It was going to get _a lot _colder at night.

Ash could tell that Misty was worrying about the situation, he couldn't blame her. But he knew that when there was hope, there was a way. He could see Misty rubbing her legs and pressing them closer to her body. Misty wore short shorts, so under those pants were bare legs, unlike Ash, who wore his jeans under them. And on top of that, her upper garments were little as well. Misty definitely was in the most danger of hypothermia. Well, not on his watch.

He unzipped his jacket, pulled it off, and tossed it to Misty. Misty was so cold that she was delirious, and thought that she imagined the jacket landing on her. When she snapped out of it, she picked up the jacket and looked at Ash. He was just wearing his usual jacket underneath the heavy one. The fact that it remained open and was thin meant that he wouldn't last minutes let alone hours.

"Ash! What are you doing! You need this!", Misty said, picking up the jacket. She was about to toss it back to him, when he shook his head.

"No Mist, you need it more. You have less clothing to keep you warm. I'll be fine without it, no way a little bit of snow and cold is gonna keep me down!", Ash said with a grin. This was just a lie of course, he knew that he wouldn't last. He could already feel his arms losing heat. Misty caught onto his bluff.

"Ash, no! Take it! I will be fine. I can't take this and watch you freeze to death...I won't", Misty said. Before Ash could respond back, she threw the jacket back to him. Ash caught it and examined the article of clothing before looking back to Misty.

"Are you sure Mist?", Ash asked. Misty loved it when he called her that, it was like, her own little nickname.

"Yes! Please, put it back on!", Misty said. Ash sighed, knowing that there was no point in arguing with her, he rarely one them anyway. He put the jacket back on and tried to warm himself up again. Misty watched as he rubbed his arms and chest, trying to keep warm. She smiled slightly. She owed him more than he could ever imagine. He never knew this, but he actually saved her life every single day. Sometimes more than others obviously, they were in danger often. But he saved her not just from death, but loneliness.

She was always alone before he came into her life. Granted, she had family, but her sisters never treated her with respect. So she went on her own journey, and she was alone for a long time. But then he came into the picture, and everything changed. Sure, they didn't hit it off too well at the beginning, but it changed quickly. She knew it, and she felt that Ash knew it as well. There was something more between them.

Something, much more.

"Ash...", Misty said. Ash looked at her, his brown eyes penetrating her deeply. "I'm...I'm sorry". Ash looked at her in a mix of shock and bewilderment. "If, if I had been stronger, kept pace with you and Brock, then the Avalanche wouldn't of been on top of me. You wouldn't have been put in this situation. I'm sorry...for doing this to you", Misty said. Her eyes were beginning to tear up. This would be dangerous, because her eyeballs could literally freeze, but she couldn't help it. She closed her eyes and buried her head in her knees.

Suddenly, she felt something around her. Ash's jacket? She was going to kill him if he took it off for her again. But no, this felt different. It wrapped well around her, and it was a bit heavier. She looked up to see that Ash was holding her, his arms wrapped around her body.

"Misty, don't say that. It's not your fault. You didn't know that an avalanche was going to happen, you have nothing to be sorry for", Ash said with a smile. Misty could do nothing more than look at him, astonished. "Besides, you're the strongest person I know".

"How can you say that? I couldn't keep up with you guys, I gave up so easily, and I'm even crying", Misty said, the tears building again. One managed to escape her eyes and slid down her cheek. Ash lifted his gloved hand and wiped the tear away.

"Strength comes in different forms Misty. You had the strength to make me take my jacket up, when a weaker person would of given into temptation and kept it. And you had the strength to tell me how you felt, which is never easy. Misty, you're someone I look up to, and I'm proud to say that, if I were to be stuck with anyone in this type of situation, I would want it to be you", Ash explained. Misty couldn't help but smile, although so many emotions were going through her at the time being.

She snuggled deeply into Ash's chest and wrapped her arms around him. The least she could do was keep him warm as well.

"Thank you Ash...so much", Misty said. Ash smiled.

"Anything for you Mist", Ash replied. That was one of the most honest things he had ever said to her. He _would _do anything for Misty. She was much more than just a friend, she was a best friend. One that he cared for deeply, more than anyone could ever imagine. He knew why, and even thought over it many times on their journey.

Perhaps, given the circumstances, this was a good time...to tell her.

"How are you?", Ash asked. Misty's eyes were closed and she was resting her head on Ash's chest.

"I feel better, but I'm still cold. Especially my face. I can't even feel my cheeks anymore", Misty said. Her saying this gave Ash an idea. He had read about it in a book of his, but never thought it would work. Only one way to find out. He lifted Misty's head so that it was off his chest and before she could even react, he kissed her on the cheek. She opened her eyes wide in shock and became flustered. Ash himself was just as bad as she was. Both of their faces turned bright red from blushing. Misty looked at Ash.

"Wha...", Misty could barely speak.

"I read...in a book, you know, the survival guide that they give to new trainers, that doing something shocking or embarrassing raises the temperature of the body. So, I kissed you", Ash explained. Ash felt that he was in fact a bit warmer than before. Although it was mostly in his face, he also felt his heart beating a lot faster than before. "So...how do you feel now?", Ash asked.

Misty felt how her body was actually getting warmer. her cheeks were still red from blushing and she felt her heart beat faster than it ever has before. "Actually...yeah. I feel warmer!", Misty said. She then giggled. "Who would of thought, Ash learned something from reading". Ash smiled back with a goofy expression.

"Well, I felt that it was a book I sort of _had _to read", Ash stated. Misty giggled again and then snuggled back into Ash.

"Well it worked. Although my cheeks sort of hurt now. The sudden change of temperature makes it sting", Misty said. Ash nodded, wrapping his arms around her once again.

"Yeah, me too. I'm already losing the warmth", Ash said. Misty looked up to Ash and could see that the blush was already beginning to go away. I guess since he thought about doing it it wasn't as shocking, so he wouldn't be blushing as long. Well, she was going to fix that. As quickly as she could. She grabbed Ash's jacket and pulled Ash closer to her. Before he could react, she pressed her lips against his and pulled away.

But unlike last time, where they were farther apart, now they remained close. Both of their faces burned bright red once more, and their hearts felt like they would burst out of their chests. They remained only an inch or two away from each other, their eyes gazing at each other's. Misty's kiss had certainly kept them warmer, but it also did something...more.

Ash slowly lifted his hand and raised it to Misty's face. Although he had gloves on, (which were practically frozen by the snow), Misty could easily feel his fingers caress her. Before they even knew what they were doing, Misty lunged forward and pressed her lips against Ash yet again. Only this time, Ash was ready for her. Immediately, they began to kiss each other back passionately. They tightened their grip, as if they felt like if they were to let go they would be separated forever.

Ash slid his tongue into Misty's mouth and she moaned quietly. Their tongues mixed as they kissed more and more.

"I love you", Ash said between kisses, nearly out of breath.

"I love you too", Misty responded back, just as breathless. They were completely lost in the moment, the world around them disappeared. All there was was each other. They forgot about the cold, the danger, the little chance of survival. If this was to be their last night together, then they were going to make it the best night ever. Ash pulled Misty on top of him and they laid on the snow, not stopping their kissing.

Suddenly, Misty stopped. She pulled away from Ash and looked at him. He wasn't sure at first why she stopped, but he could see why in her eyes. He knew what she was thinking. Slowly, he pulled off his gloves and unzipped her jacket. Misty did the same to Ash. Within a matter of moments, their jackets were open and their normal attire was exposed. They pressed each other closer together, so as to let less cold air in-between them. Misty then slid the suspenders off of her and slid her shirt down her waist, undergarments included. Ash removed his jacket and pulled his shirt over his head. Misty pressed her bare upper body against Ash's and they held onto each other tightly. Their jackets remained on and they kept their clothes between them for extra warmth.

"Ash. If this is in fact the last night I ever have...I'm glad it was with you", Misty said, her eyes filled not with fear, but acceptance. Ash smiled and held her tightly.

"Same for me Misty...I love you", Ash said. Misty moved her head closer to Ash's, her finger playing with Ash's lip.

"I love you too...and I always will", Misty said. They then once again began their passionate kissing.

Hours later, a hole was created in the snow, letting light enter the little cave. The light disappeared momentarily, only to come back again. Someone had peeked inside and noticed them. Soon, the hole grew larger and larger. Ash and Misty looked up to see that rescue had arrived. There was constant yelling, but neither of them could really make it out. They were barely alive. Brock had indeed survived the avalanche and found help. They had been searching for hours, knowing that time was of the essence. Pikachu was being held by one of the rescuers, it was weak and cold from searching all night.

Two rescue members along with Brock entered the little cave. Ash and Misty began to put their clothes back on and were helped out of the cave. Brock was glad that they were alive, but couldn't believe the sight before him. He wasn't sure if he should be glad or worried. The rescuers were used to this kind of thing and thought nothing of it. Ash and Misty held onto each other as they crawled into the rescue copter, Brock and Pikachu right behind them. As the copter raised itself off the ground and began to make its way to the nearest hospital, Ash and Misty wrapped their arms around each other.

They had made it out alive.

**And that's that! My goodness, I'm not used to writing stories with such dirty dirty moments! For shame! Author's Note- they did NOT have sex. I'd imagine that it would have some pretty "big consequences" later on. Well, hoped you liked it. I thought of a few ways that this story could go. I thought about actually having them...uhm...do "more". I thought about them actually dying, and I thought about the entire chapter itself being taken a different way. But I went along with this. Now, for my next word! (looks through dictionary and picks word randomly)..."Incognito". Alrighty, I'm sensing a comedy for the next chapter! Well, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, be sure to F.A.R., and I will see you next time!**

**sincerely,  
evan, a fan of aaml -EVAN AAML**


	10. Incognito

**Hello everyone! Sorry it has been so long since I updated, but you should expect this by now. Obviously I was held up by "R" once again. If you read the least chapter to "R" (Chap. 26), then you would see that there were some other things holding me back in writing. Anyway, here is my next chapter for the alphabet game. I didn't have a lot of time to work on a big plot for it, so most of this will come straight from my head onto the web. Let's see how this turns out then huh?**

**-EVAN AAML**

"I...am a Kecleon", Ash thought to himself.

Ash had returned from training and decided to visit his family back in Pallet Town for a bit until he was off again. Since Misty and Tracy were in the area, Ash told them to come over and hang out. Although once they did, Mrs. Ketchum put the three to work doing chores around the house. They didn't mind really, but it _did _cause Ash to, well...

"No one can find me, I'm invisible, I'm like a ninja...only ninja-ier".

Truth be told, the only person he was really hiding from was Misty, who kept walking in and out of the living room to fold laundry. Ash was stuck cleaning the entire upstairs, but when he felt like he had "finished", he sneaked downstairs and hid. There was no reason for him to hide, nothing to be gained from it, but he did it anyway. It took him awhile to manage to hide behind the large plant in the living room; but once he finally did he was happy. Stuck between the plant and the fire place, no one would be able to see him unless they peaked over the large leafed plant.

Misty had a pile of clothes on the couch and was folding them one by one and dividing them up into their respective groupings. She kept quiet, not talking or even humming. Mrs. Ketchum was out in the garden and Tracy in the basement. And with her thinking that Ash was upstairs, there was no need to make noise.

"Haha, look at her. Little does she know that I'm spying on her folding my undies...wait, WHAT?", Ash thought. He watched as Misty folded up Ash's more personal clothing. Technically they were boxers, but the privacy of it all still applied. Ash was bright red, but remained hidden. Misty didn't seem to bat an eyelash over it. "Damn it! Why is she doing those? She could of left them in a pile in my room, THEY'LL BE IN A PILE IN THERE ANYWAY!".

Just then, Misty turned around for a moment. Ash was silent the entire time, but this time tried to make himself even more quiet. His heart rate increased and he felt like Misty would be able to hear it. But she didn't. She turned around again and went back to the laundry.

"Phew, that was close! I mustn't let her see me! It ruins my entire plan!...which I haven't gotten to yet! Yeah, what AM I going to do anyway? I suppose I could just jump out and scare her, but that would seem anti-climatic. Hmm...how about I jump out and attack her? Nah, I'd get her first, but she'd get me harder later. OH! I GOT IT! I'll jump out, grab her, carry her upstairs, and make out with her in my room...WHERE THE HELL DID THAT COME FROM?", Ash thought to himself, although he yelled it in his mind.

Although he was still immature for his age, (something he intended to remain for as long as he could), he still knew enough adult things. One of them being romances. And he _knew _that he had the hots for Misty. Granted, everyone seemed to know this even before he did, but now that he knew, it was different. The only thing that really stopped him from asking her out was the long distant relationship ordeal. He cared for her greatly, but he wasn't going to stop training this early on in his life, and in the back of his mind, he thought that she knew this.

She would wait for him, he was sure of it. It was comforting to know that no matter how his league battles turned out in the end she would be there for him back in Kanto. But now wasn't the time to think of the future, now was the time to think of the present. And presently...he was still hiding.

"I see what you're getting at Miss Waterflower! You're folding my undies and standing there all sexy to MAKE me come out! WELL IT'S NOT GONNA WORK! CAUSE I'M ONE FOCUSED INVISIBLE PERSON!", Ash thought to himself. As Misty continued to fold clothes, she accidentally dropped a shirt of Ash's and bent down to pick it up, making her curves and butt more visible and appealing. "OH NOW THAT'S JUST CHEATING!".

Suddenly, Misty turned around and looked towards Ash's location. He remained quiet, but his heart rate sky rocketed. He was sure that she would be able to hear it. But instead, she turned back to her work, bent down, and picked up the shirt like nothing had happened. Ash sighed in his head.

"That was too close, I'm gonna have to watch it. I wonder how she could of possibly been suspicious of me. I was as quiet as I could be...unless...she can read minds! Of course, that's how she can sense me! Let's put it to the test...Misty, scratch your nose!", Ash thought to himself. Amazingly, just after he commanded this, Misty did in fact reach up and scratch her nose. Ash became shocked. "HOLY SHIT! SHE _CAN _READ MINDS! AND I SAID HOW SEXY SHE WAS! AAAHHH!", Ash yelled in his head.

"No, no, don't think that. Come on Ash, use your common sense, scratching your nose is a common thing. I have to think of something that she would never do unless told to. Ok, Misty...take off your shirt!". Ash wasn't a pervert really. If it came between sex and a committed relationship, he would pick the relationship any day; especially if it involved Misty. But he was a teenager, and his hormones were raging, why deny them?

Despite this though, Misty did not take off her shirt. She finished folding and sorting the pile of clothes she had with her. She walked out of the living room, (going past Ash's hiding spot), and into the Kitchen; where the door to the basement was located. After hearing the sound of the basement door opening and closing, Ash came out of hiding and leaned against the large plant. The leaves and stems struck his body.

"Now that she's gone, I can think of a better way to hide over here...hmm, I can't move anything closer to me, that would make her suspicious. Shoot, oh well, I guess I'll have to depend solely on my ninja skills", Ash said to himself. One of the leaves to the plant was pressed against his face. He blew it out of the way, but it soon came back and struck him in the face, he sighed.

He was glad that no one else was there to see his misfortunes and possibly try to find out where he was. Pikachu decided to spend the day at Prof. Oak's lab to hang out with his Pokemon friends, and the rest of Ash's travel group where home, which left Ash for the most part home alone. And with his mom and Tracy too busy to look for him, the only person he had to worry about was Misty; the most "cunning" of Ash's friends.

Suddenly, Ash heard a nose coming from somewhere else in the house. Ash quickly bent back down, hitting his head against the brick fireplace siding, and remained silent. "WHAT WAS THAT? WAS THAT MISTY TRYING TO FIND ME? WE'LL IT'S NOT GONNA WORK, CAUSE I'M TOO SLY FOR YOU!...oh wait, that was the house settling...false alarm", Ash thought to himself. He took a breather and tried to relax himself, but he did not have a lot of time to do so.

Just then, the sound of the basement door swinging open echoed into the living room. Ash panicked once again and prepared himself. Within seconds, Misty came walking back into the living room; carrying with her a very large pile of clothes. It was nearly impossible for her to even see over the pile she held in her arms, but she managed to walk to the couch and place them down without any trouble. She then began to fold and sort the many articles of clothing in the pile, as Ash watched.

"Well Mist, your plan to distract me and act like nothing was going on has backfired, because I know you're wondering where I am! In fact, you're probably so distracted by me that you'll screw up with the laundry soon! And none of my undies are in that pile, so you won't be able to use that against me anymore. HA! YOU'RE NOTHING COMPARED TO MY INVISIBLE SKILLS!", Ash thought to himself.

After saying this, Misty glanced over to the clothes pile and caught eye of something. She gasped.

"Well would you look at that!", Misty said to herself. Ash began to pay closer attention to what she was looking at. Misty dug into the pile of clothes and pulled out something that shocked Ash. It was his hat, the same hat he wore when he first began his Pokemon journey. Misty smiled greatly at seeing the nostalgic wear. "Wow, this brings back a lot of great memories...". Ash then noticed Misty sigh heavily. "...I sure miss those days".

Ash suddenly felt a bolt of pain in his chest, one that caught him by such surprise that he put his hand to his heart. He felt guilty. Traveling with Misty since his first day training was one of the best things that ever happened to him. And he was sure that had Misty not have been forced to return to the Cerulean Gym, she would still be traveling with him to this day. It wasn't his fault that she was forced to leave, it wasn't Misty's either. But he felt guilty because it has been quite a while since Misty's job at the gym was over, and yet he never invited her to travel with him again.

What Misty did next however completely threw Ash by surprise.

Misty smiled and kissed the center of the hat, right where the insignia was, before placing it on her head; exactly the same way that Ash always did when he was younger. Ash wasn't sure how to react to this. He figured that Misty missed the good old days, but why kiss the hat then? Was it just to show how much she missed them? That didn't make any sense.

"Why would she kiss my hat like that? It doesn't make any sense. Hmm...she must like me as much as I like her! Wow, I can't believe it! I should get up and tell her...hold on a minute...OHO! VERY CLEVER MISTY! Trying to go with the sentimental routine to get me out, well it's not going to work, BECAUSE I AM SIMPLY TOO GOOD FOR YOU! TAKE THAT!", Ash yelled in his head. He was quite proud of himself for catching onto Misty's plan, it was rare for him to be this clever, especially when it involved tricking Misty.

Misty continued to fold and sort the clothes, while still wearing Ash's training cap. Although he still had the thought of her liking him in the back of his mind, he focused more on his hiding.

"She's not going to be able to trick me out, she's going to have to try to look for me, but it's all in vein! I'm like a Kecleon, I'm practically invisible. In fact, SCREW THE KECLEON! THEY STILL HAVE THAT STUPID RED SRIPE VISIBLE WHEN THEY HIDE, I'M ONE HUNDRED PERCENT HIDDEN!", Ash thought. Misty quickly finished with this pile and now began to stack the shirts and pants into bigger piles. Once she was done, she carried all of the folded piles of clothes upstairs; to be put away.

"Yeah, take THAT you poor excuse for a rival! Ninja Ash is impossible to find! No one can spot him once he's hidden, NO ONE!"

"Uhm...Ash...what are you doing?".

Ash's heart sank into his chest. He recognized the voice as Tracy's. He remained still, not saying a word or even budging an inch.

"Ash...I can see you clearly. Why are you hiding?", Tracy asked.

"Note to self...Pokemon Watchers are immune to master ninja techniques", Ash thought to himself. Although he remained perfectly still, he figured that he could at least reply to Tracy.

"Go away!", Ash whispered to Tracy. It wasn't exactly a quiet whisper, but quiet enough where Misty wouldn't hear.

"Uh...I don't even know what to say right now", Tracy responded. He was used to Ash's immaturity from when they traveled together years ago, but it had been awhile, so it was something to get reacquainted with.

"SILENCE!...I'm in incognito!", Ash yelled. Tracy sweatdropped.

"Ash, you don't have to say _in _incognito, you can just say incognito", Tracy replied.

"...Ninjas don't need proper grammar, they can be invisible! And hide on their enemies!", Ash said.

"...What...Misty? You're watching her do laundry?...Was cleaning the upstairs _really _that difficult for you? Did it rupture your brain cells or something?", Tracy asked.

"NO! I just got bored and wanted to spy on Misty, ALRIGHT?", Ash yelled. Tracy sweatdropped once again.

"Uh...alright. You know, if you just asked her out, you wouldn't need to hide from her like this", Tracy said, walking back into the Kitchen. Ash blushed for a bit, embarrassed both at his blown cover and the idea that people _still _were trying to get him and Misty together.

"Ninjas don't need girlfriends! They remain alone, hidden away from the surroundings, ready to...pounce...onto their victims...who may sometimes be women, especially hot ones like Misty...damn it", Ash thought to himself. Tracy was right. He _did _need to ask her out.

Just then, Misty came back downstairs. The clothes were gone, but she still wore Ash's hat on her head. Ash positioned himself better this time, making sure that neither Misty NOR Tracy could see him. She walked back to the couch and began to tidy it up, fixing the cushions on it and making it look presentable.

"Aha, so once again you were outwitted by me eh Mist? But is anyone really surprised? I _am _after all a master of invisibility. I am like a god! I AM THE BE", before Ash could finish, he was cut off.

"You know Ash, you're one of the best Pokemon trainers in the world...but you make for a _horrible_ ninja", Misty said, still fixing the couch. She then turned around and looked to where Ash was hiding. Although she could not physically see him, she knew he was there. "I was just upstairs dummy, I saw that you weren't there. Oh, and next time you get annoyed at Tracy for finding you...you might want to keep it down a bit so that no one can hear". She then giggled.

"...Ah fuck it!", Ash thought to himself. He then jumped out of his hiding spot and dove to Misty. She was completely unprepared for this and could only have enough time to soften the blow as Ash tackled her onto the couch. The tidy job that Misty did was completely undone. Tracy walked back into the room, hearing Misty talk to Ash and the sound of something being hit. As he stepped into the living room, he instantly became wide eyed. Tracy's gone from the room for two minutes and already Ash and Misty were making out on the couch!

"...". Tracy did not even need to say anything. He slowly backed up into the Kitchen, keeping as quiet as he could be. Teenagers...

Ash pulled away from Misty just for a moment, allowing them both to breath. The two teens smiled at each other, both of them red from blushing and hot from the sudden passion. Ash looked at the hat on Misty's head, which was now only barely on from the tackle and making out. He smiled.

"You know, that hat looks good on you, you should bring it with you when we leave Kanto to travel", Ash said. Misty giggled and smiled back, wrapping her arms around Ash.

"I'll be sure to do that", Misty said. Ash laughed.

"Oh, and just so you know, it won't be _nearly _as easy to find me next time! A ninja must ALWAYS be in incognito", Ash said with a sly grin. Misty rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Shut up and kiss me", Misty said. Ash did just that.

**And there you go! I'll admit, this chapter did NOT go as well as I had hoped. I wanted this to be hilarious, and after I first wrote it, I felt that it was. But unfortunately, just as I clicked the save button, something occurred and it deleted all but the first 13 or so paragraphs. So most everything I had already forgotten about, and I had to restart nearly the entire story. So a lot was left out and it seems weird. It's a bit more adult humor, but I think some parts are still good for a laugh or two. Hope you at least like a line or two. God only knows when I'll update this story again, usually I get in about 3 or 4 chapters for "R" before updating this one, so keep an eye out for that. Anyway, be sure to F.A.R., (Favorite, Alert, Review). Now then, for the next chapter, I shall be writing about...(goes through dictionary and picks word at random)..."Jubilant". That seems easy enough. It would definitely be a romantic chapter for the next one. I'll be honest, by actual first random pick was "Judaism", but I didn't feel like writing something that could offend people, I'll avoid the taboos when I can. Well, until then, this is EVAN AAML, goodbye everyone!**

**sincerely,  
evan, a fan of aaml -EVAN AAML**


	11. Jubilant

**Welcome back to "The Alphabet Game: EVAN AAML Style"! I know it's been awhile, as usual. And I'm sure you all know why exactly it's been this long. Oh well. Well, the word for this chapter is "Jubilant". I think this one calls for a sweet, romantic chapter, don't you? I already know how this one can go. If you all recall, I write the story straight from my head onto the site. I don't make time to thoroughly think through them. I use this story to test my improvising writing. Well, enough with my rambling, LET'S START THIS!**

**-EVAN AAML**

She couldn't possibly ever feel this happy again in her life, she couldn't see how it was humanly possible to. Not that she would never be happy again, she knew she would, but this was just too happy. She couldn't even imagine a better word for this feeling, other than jubilant.

She felt jubilant, that was perfect.

The room was white and bright from the sunlight entering the windows, but not nearly as white as her dress. Compared to her dress, the rest of the room was black as night. It was the ultimate symbolism for purity, innocence, light,

love.

She was glad that May and Dawn offered to help her with dressing. She of course would of preferred her sisters, they had a better sense of what they were doing. But the girls had helped her pick out the dress and the things that went with it, and she really wanted to have a moment with May and Dawn for a occasion like this. Her sisters understood, so it was alright.

They were at a beautiful old church. It was probably the oldest building in the city, but it was still sturdy and looked like it had recently been worked on. Misty had wanted to get married outside, in a park, or on a hill. But the weather wasn't the best, and a church would do just fine. Nothing could make her feel any less jubilant. Plus, this allowed her to get a bit more privacy for changing. They were in a spare room of the church, made specifically for brides changing into their dresses. The windows were open, allowing a light breeze to come in, it figured that the one day in this month that had nice weather was on her wedding day.

The windows faced a open field, where they would normally hold outside ceremonies. She could hear a lot of voices outside, but she wasn't sure why. But she disregarded it. The curtains were closed for privacy, but the wind just barely made them move, for some reason, Misty was comforted by this. It seemed that this room was purposely making everything more romantic. A light breeze, the curtains moving slightly, all white and sunlight.

Everything was just making this more and more perfect for her.

She looked down, seeing Dawn try to position the lower half of her dress so that it wouldn't be stepped on as she walked. The dress was a strapless all white dress, just what she had wanted. The upper half wrapped perfectly around her chest. It was plain considering the rest of her outfit, but it did have some intricate designs in the fabric. Her hair was not in the traditional side ponytail she always sported, which was something she wasn't used to. It was put up in a bun style in the back of her head, with just a few hairs purposely hanging loose, May's idea. She said it would make the outfit look better and have her eyes noticed more, Misty agreed.

The lower half of her dress was much bigger and spread out. It would take some work to make it easier to move around in, which was why May and Dawn were there.

"I almost got it here Misty", Dawn said, trying to move the couple layers of her lower dress around. They did not want to sacrifice the look of the dress for her to walk, but they managed to move it around and pin it in just so that it wouldn't look obvious _and _she wouldn't trip or tear the dress while walking.

"Thanks again girls for helping me with this", Misty said, smiling. May and Dawn couldn't help but smile back. They knew how happy she was over the whole thing, and they were thrilled for her.

"Of course Misty, we're honored!", May said.

"Yeah, we would of wanted to do this anyway. If anything, we _still _owe you for making us your bride's maids!", Dawn stated. Misty knew from the second that she started planning the wedding that May and Dawn had to be bride's maids. Of course, her sisters were too, which totaled five. Good thing they were able to find five groom's men as well. Both May and Dawn's dresses were simple sling down dresses, purposely to make Misty stick out more. Even the color of the dresses were made for Misty to stick out. They were all a brilliant cerulean blue, just like her eye color, and just like the city they were in.

Cerulean City was always a romantic location, and as such, it had a lot of places for the perfect wedding. On top of that, it allowed people to not have to travel very far for the most part. The gym was even decorated for the after party they were going to throw after the ceremony. Since the color was such a big part of the city, it only made sense to make it part of the ceremony; especially since it involved their beloved gym leader.

The dresses sparkled in the sunlight, just like water would from the sun's rays. This was the point the dresses were supposed to make. The two girls also had beautiful corsages made from the best looking water flowers around. They seemed odd on a corsage, but it surprisingly worked well with the design of the dresses. Dawn's hair was not styled as much as Misty's, she kept it down as usual. But it was styled so that it had more of a curve to it. She also had her hat off, so the hair flowed slightly in the breeze. May's hair was done a bit more than Dawn's. Her hair was also in a bun, much like Misty's. Unlike Misty however, she did not have the hair strands loose, they were kept tight.

"I still can't believe this is all happening...", Misty said somewhat quietly. She was so amazed that it all seemed like a dream that was too good to be true. May smiled and ran over to give Misty a hug, making sure not to ruin Dawn's work or wrinkle the dresses.

"We're so proud of you Misty! This is honestly one of the best days in my life, it's that awesome!", May said. Misty smiled. She knew that May was always a hopeless romantic like her, they were close enough to be sisters. Dawn stood up and smiled, looking at her work.

"Yep, that should do it! I'm used to fixing my dresses for contests, so this went by easier than I thought!", Dawn said. Misty nodded.

"Thank you so much Dawn", Misty said. Dawn nodded with a smile. Misty did not know Dawn as well as she did May, but she knew already that they would be much closer friends by the end of this. Misty stepped down from the small pedestal that she was standing on to make fixing the dress easier and stepped forward. Dawn did a good job of making it so that she wouldn't trip. She lifted the sides of the dress and began to spin around in a circle, causing the dress to take the form of a wide bell.

She smiled and laughed out loud, like a little child even. May and Dawn couldn't help but laugh. Misty was the oldest and most mature of the three by far, and yet here she was, like a five year old once more. Misty soon stopped spinning and began to wobble. May and Dawn immediately dove to her and caught her by her arms just as she fell backwards. But the weight of the dress was more than they expected, and the three girls toppled onto the ground.

All three of them burst into laughter, not being able to contain themselves. They were all so jubilant that they couldn't even contain themselves for something as big as this. After a minute or so of laughing, they managed to stop themselves, wiping away the tears that formed from the giggles.

"Wow, we're all kids still", May said with a smile, wiping away the tears. Dawn and Misty nodded. Dawn was the youngest girl at eighteen, and yet all three of them were still as giddy over something like a wedding as they would be as children. Dawn smiled.

"I know, it's silly", Dawn replied. Misty smiled back.

"No, it's not...it's right", Misty said. May and Dawn helped Misty onto her feet, making sure not to ruin their dresses. "A wedding is something we all dream about as kids, it's only going to happen once...so it feels right to be this giddy over it". May and Dawn smiled.

"Yeah, you're right!", May said. She recalled back to being a little kid, thinking about her day when she could walk down the isle with her "prince charming". That day was coming closer and closer, but it wasn't now. Today was Misty's day, and she was going to do anything she could to make sure it went as she always dreamed of. Just as she would want for herself.

"I can't even imagine what you're feeling like right now Misty", Dawn said. Misty turned to Dawn. "I mean, you must be so nervous, worried, I would be dying if I were you!". Misty smiled and turned her back on the girls, stepping forward a bit. The breeze kicked up a bit, causing the curtains to sway in the room more. This allowed the loose strands of hair on her face to flow in the breeze as well. She closed her eyes and smiled.

"You're right, I am feeling nervous, a little bit...everyone would be for a thing like this. But...I have been waiting for this day nearly all my life. It's been so long in fact that I even filled a scrap book of what my perfect wedding would be like. So, now that the day is finally here, I am just...happy", Misty explained. May and Dawn smiled and looked to each other. They knew something that Misty didn't, but luckily Misty's back was still to them, and she did not see. "This may not be the same type of wedding I dreamed of when I was younger, but it doesn't matter. Because the fact of the matter is, it's here, after all of this time...and I'm marrying the man of my dreams to top it all off".

Suddenly, a few tears began to come down her face. She couldn't even contain those anymore. She turned to May and Dawn, who immediately noticed the tears and began to well up also. They ran into Misty and the three girls all hugged each others, crying softly.

"Thank you girls...so much...for helping me on the most important day of my life", Misty said.

"Anything for you Misty", May replied. The girls then released each other, their tears still coming down slightly.

"Now, go out there, and enjoy the greatest moment of your life", Dawn stated. Misty nodded. With the help of the girls, she was able to stop crying and retouch her makeup. When they were done, the girls smiled and opened the door for her. Misty stepped out of the room and the girls closed it, leaving the bright room behind them. Misty knew that they were still early yet for the ceremony, since it was quiet and no one had come to alert them that it was time. She planned on hiding in the lower rooms until the ceremony would start. As she came down the wide spiral stairs however, she caught something unusual, and stopped walking.

She knew for a fact that there was supposed to be an usher waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs, that's what was planned originally. And yet there was no one there. She thought that the usher must of merely forgotten. Oh well, can't be helped.

"Something wrong?", May asked.

"Hmm? Oh, well, there was supposed to be an usher waiting there for me", Misty said.

"Oh yeah...and the door people aren't there either", Dawn pointed out. Several feet away from the stairs were a set of closed doors, which led into the main hall of the church, where the ceremony would take place. However, there was supposed to be a person standing there to keep the doors open, and there was not.

"Yeah, you're right. What's going on?", Misty asked. She then began to walk down the stairs once more. May and Dawn both smiled, but walked with her. Misty was beginning to worry slightly. Although an usher and door greeter were not mandatory for this wedding, it began to make it look like the wedding was falling apart. And Misty's emotions were much to high to be let down now.

She reached the doors and peeked inside. The windows to the door were specially designed, which made them look good, but made them hard to see through well. But regardless, Misty noticed that more people were missing.

"You don't think Ash will see me out there will you?", Misty asked. It was tradition for the groom not to see the bride until the actual ceremony. May and Dawn shook their heads.

"No, I don't think so", May replied. Misty nodded, and then opened the doors behind her. As she did, she stepped inside, looked around, and gasped.

The entire church was empty! Not a single person was in the building. Not even the father of the church. No one was seated in the benches, there were no bride's maids, (other than May and Dawn), no groom's men, no flower girl, no ring bearer, not even a bartender for the mini bar.

"I...I don't get it...wh-wha?", Misty said, turning to the girls behind her. Both of them couldn't contain themselves anymore. They both smiled greatly.

"Misty, I think you need to come with us", May said.

"We have something to show you", Dawn stated. Misty seemed so confused and shocked that she could barely move. May and Dawn approached her and helped her walk over to another set of doors, directly across from the alter. This would be where she would enter from during the actual ceremony. Misty seemed lost, she was not sure what was going on, and why May and Dawn seemed to be so happy despite it. The two girls put their hands on the door and looked at the stumped Misty.

"So then, are you ready?", May asked. Misty just looked at her, but managed to nod slightly.

"Alright then!", Dawn said. Then two girls then opened the doors. Misty's heart seemed to beat faster and faster as the doors opened wider and wider, revealing...

a open area, with but one person.

This was one of the back halls of the church, which went around the entire building. there were no people to the left or right of the hall, which was all decorated as nicely as the alter. But Misty noticed that the wedding decorations were no where to be seen. She looked at May and Dawn, just as confused as ever. The girls smiled, and directed their attention towards the other side of the hall, directly across from them.

It was only about thirty feet or so before another set of doors was before them. In front of these doors however, was a door greeter; probably the one that was supposed to be at the other door. He was a older gentleman, about in his forties or so. He had black hair and a moustache that looked like it belonged on someone of high society in the twenties or thirties. He wore a simple tuxedo, as was customary for his job. He smiled warmly as Misty and the girls approached him.

"Ah, I see you finally made it!", the door greeter stated. Misty nodded.

"What's going on?", Misty asked, not being able to hold in a smile. They had all planned something without her knowing. May and Dawn could barely contain their excitement, but allowed the door greeter to explain.

"I think it's best if I show you instead", the greeter said. He then reached over and grabbed the door handle with his white gloved hand. He then smiled once more and pulled the door wide open, causing Misty to gasp.

The door led directly to the backyard of the church, which was a small hill that overlooked parts of Cerulean City. This was why she had heard voices from outside in her changing room. There was a cerulean rug that started at the door and reached all the way out to a makeshift alter, where the father of the church stood. Although the wedding itself was still not ready yet, a lot of people were all seated in the benches they had out on both sides of the rug. There were tall white columns that were placed in certain spots, adorned with flowers.

She couldn't believe her eyes. It was the wedding she had dreamed about as a little kid. The one she thought up all those years ago. She stepped outside and looked around. Everything was done straight to a "T". Even the cake and flowers. May and Dawn approached her from behind and smiled.

"Your soon to be husband planned all of this out", May said.

"He even asked us to keep you in the room longer so that we can get everything ready", Dawn explained.

"But...how did he know...", Misty asked. She then turned to her left and saw it.

No...impossible. How did he find it?

Resting on a small column, open for everyone to see, was a large book. Misty approached it and looked into it, gasping and covering her mouth with her hand. It was the scrap book she had made when she was younger. She used her free hand to lightly feel the pages, as if making sure it was real. The soft touch of the paper from the sunlight made her fingers warm. The book was open to a set of pages Misty had set as a child purposely for those to sign their names upon arriving.

He had thought of everything.

She could barely take anymore of it. She was about to burst into tears. May and Dawn smiled more, they were so glad for their friend. But there was still one more thing for them to do. The two girls reached Misty and turned her around.

"There's one more thing we had to do Misty...", Dawn said. May and Dawn then directed her attention to the alter. She looked over, the sunlight in her eyes a bit. She could just make out a figure, standing right beside the father. Although she could not exactly make it out, she knew instantly who it was. She smiled greatly, which caused both the girls, and everyone watching in their seats, to smile back.

"No, go up there, and make your dreams come true...go get em'", May said. Misty smiled, and instantly ran towards the alter, her tears coming down and her smiled as big as ever.

She was like a little girl all over again. Her perfect wedding now more than a dream, a reality. And how did this make her feel? Jubilant.

**And that is that! Not going to lie, this one was hard for me to write! Not because it was difficult in thinking of stuff, actually that came out better than expected. What made it hard was that it made me want to experience a wedding! I'M SUCH A PANSY MAAAAAAAAN! :( But I don't care, I am a hopeless romantic too. And I can't wait for that day when I get married myself. Until then, I can always make other happy by writing about it. Now, if you noticed, I never exactly mentioned any names for the groom. The reason? Because I want YOU to imagine who she is marrying. I wanted to change it up a bit, and make this chapter acceptable for pretty much all the shippings. Of course, you all know who I imagined up on the alter, but now you can imagine your own person. I hope you liked the chapter! Be sure to F.A.R.! And now, onto the next chapter, which will be entitled...(chooses word at random in dictionary)..."Keep". Dang, I was hoping for "Kiss", that would of been easy. But I already have something in mind for this too. So that's good. Anyway, until then, this is EVAN AAML, signing off!**

**sincerely,  
evan, a fan of aaml -EVAN AAML**


	12. Keep

**Hello one and all! I hope you're excited about the next chapter of "The Alphabet Game EVAN AAML Style"! For this chapter, the word shall be "Keep". I don't see why I'm bothering to stall, so let's get right to it!**

**-EVAN AAML**

"Hurry up! I want you to see this Ash!".

"I'm coming! The view isn't going anywhere!".

The red headed girl waited close to the top of the hill, waiting for her raven haired boy. Her one. He was taking his time to walk up the hill. In his defense, it was a relatively steep hill, but she wanted him to hurry. She was excited and couldn't wait for him to get to the top. When he was close enough, she grabbed his hand and pulled him up, the two giggling all the while.

Finally, they had reached it. The top.

She sighed happily, finally, he got to see what she wanted him to see. The two stood there, admiring the view before them. The sun was just beginning to set, but due to the height of the distant mountains, it was already beginning to disappear. The sky appeared to be filled with fireworks, colored in reds, oranges, yellows, and pinks. Misty had known this spot for years, and even though she had told Ash of it for a long time, this was the first time she had actually taken him there.

She used to love looking at Mt. Moon and the other mountains when she was off from her duties as gym leader. She would sit there for what felt like hours, just relaxing, daydreaming. About him. But now, knowing that they were together, and her dreams were coming true, she felt that it was only fitting that she would take him there, where she used to think of him nearly every day.

"It's beautiful", Ash said. Misty nodded.

"Yeah. I love it here. It's quiet, private, and the view is just...wow", Misty stated. Ash nodded with a smile. Slowly, he reached his hand over and slid it into Misty's. The two hands clenched and they both smiled even more.

"I'm glad you took me here sweetie", Ash said. Misty giggled.

"Well I've been meaning to for years! But _you _were the one who brought it up!", Misty pointed out. Ash nodded.

"I remember you telling me about it before, and since we have so much spare time, I figured why not?", Ash said. He then smirked and grabbed Misty around her waist. Misty giggled and wrapped her arms around him. Before they knew it, they had fallen to the ground and were rolling down the hill. The soft grass rubbed against their bodies as they rolled down, laughing and smiling all the while. Eventually, their momentum slowed and they stopped rolling. Ash was on top of Misty, a couple hundred feet from the top of the hill.

Ash smiled and looked into Misty's eyes. They seemed to sparkle from the sun's rays, like it would on water. Misty smiled back and slowly wrapped her arms around Ash's neck. Ash smiled and lowered himself so that he was closer to Misty.

"I love you", Ash said. Misty smiled. She squeezed him tightly and pulled him closer. Soon, she pressed her lips against his. They remained silent, enjoying the moment they had together. After a few seconds, Ash slowly pulled away from her. She smiled.

"I love you too Ash. And I always will", Misty responded. Ash smiled cheekily.

"That's good!", Ash joked. Misty giggled and playfully slapped him in the cheek. Ash nuzzled into Misty's neck while she sighed, as if she was in heaven. They laid there for awhile, not saying a word. After a while, Misty broke the silence.

"Ash...can I keep you?", Misty asked. The question made Ash laugh slightly.

"You want to keep me?", Ash asked. Misty turned so that she could get a better look at him.

"Yeah...", Misty said dreamily. Ash couldn't help but smile.

"Well, I don't see why you would want to, especially after the years we've been through; but...if you're willing to put up with me...then yes. You can keep me as long as you want", Ash said. Misty smiled greatly. Before Ash could even react, Misty pressed her lips against Ash's, kissing him deeply. Ash smiled as she kissed him and pulled her in closer.

Before they knew it, they went from merely kissing to making out, feeling the extreme passion for each other. Ash rubbed Misty's back while Misty's hands went under Ash's hat and played with his hair. After several minutes, they stopped kissing, breathing heavily. They looked at each other again and smiled.

"I'm curious, are you going to keep me just as a booty call?", Ash asked jokingly. Misty burst out laughing.

"It seems that way doesn't it?", Misty asked. She brought her hands down from his hair and wrapped it around his waist. "No Ash, I'm keeping you...because I'm in love with you. You make me so happy, and you're always there for me. You're not just someone I fell in love with, you're my best friend". Ash smiled. He slowly brought his hands up and cupped Misty's cheeks.

"Mist, you have no idea how glad I am to hear that...I love you so much...", Ash said. Misty smiled, tears slowly coming down her face. Ash used his fingers to remove the tears. He then leaned in close and got right up to Misty's right ear. "Can _I _keep _you_?".

Those words were all Misty needed to hear. As the sun began to set completely, the young couple shared a romantic moment that they would forever remember.

**This is probably one of, if not _the _shortest chapter in this series. But despite that, I really liked it. The point of a one shot is to make a entertaining story short and remove writer's block anyway. So I consider this a genuine one shot story. I hoped you all really liked it! Now then, the word for next week's chapter. After randomly finding one through a dictionary, the word for the next chapter shall be..."Labor". I already have something planned out for this. I think I'm going to use some of my experiences from doing charity construction in New Orleans for this chapter! Anyway, I hoped you liked this chapter, be sure to be on the look out for more updates for this and my other story "R"! Until then, this is EVAN AAML, signing off!**

**sincerely,  
evan, a fan of aaml -EVAN AAML **


	13. Labor

**Welcome back everyone! Hope you didn't miss me too much now! ;) Anyway, not much to discuss here in my beginning A.N. except maybe...uhm...not looking forward to this football season. New York Giants...not doing to well. -_- Oh well. Let's get started with the chapter entitled "Labor".**

**-EVAN AAML**

The sun shined brilliantly and the wind carried with it a warm breeze that gave everyone just the right amount of relief from the heat. Although they were all tired and sweaty, none of them were complaining, for they were happy to be able to be out there, helping.

A hurricane had struck the Orange Islands and southern Kanto, leaving behind a lot of devastation in its wake. Fortunately, everyone was evacuated before the storm had hit; unfortunately, many homes and businesses were destroyed or flooded. Hearing of the devastation, Prof. Oak had started a relief group, which would come down to the devastated locations and help the people rebuild their homes, businesses, and lives. Apart from people hired by Prof. Oak, many people volunteered to help with the work. Gary, being Prof. Oak's grandson, naturally volunteered as well, and invited all of his friends to come along for the ride. They were all more than happy to be of help.

So there they all were, trying to rebuild a home that was washed away from the hurricane, hoping that they could do their part to help others in need.

Because their group was so large, they were designated with their own home to build. Although the work would be slow and difficult, the satisfaction of seeing the smiling faces of the families at the end was all worth it. None of them were getting paid for this excursion, and in fact many of them took time out of their journeys to come and help. Walking towards the home, carrying with him large piles of pressure treated wood that were all placed in a large pick up, was Ash Ketchum. His signature hat was on backwards, and on top of his hat was a hard hat, to protect him from falling objects. He also wore tough work boots, that were made of rubber and water proof.

He reached the house, and then looked up to see the work. Luckily, the house's foundation was not disturbed from the hurricane, and once the flood receded they were able to get right to work. They had finished building the frame of the house days earlier and were now working on putting up walls and the roof of the home. Ash smiled at the work. They were only able to do one home at a time. The thought of this seemed to bother some people, Ash included. Thinking that only one family at a time could be helped, and not the whole lot of them at once. But he knew that there was nothing else they could do, and he promised to help out as much as he could.

After gazing at the house for a bit, he walked back inside. Thus far, the only sections of wall that were up were at the back end of the house, while the front half and sides were still bare and only had the framework. The roof on the other hand was almost completely done, with the entire back half up and the shingles in place. Ash walked through the home, making sure not to bump into anything that would cause him to drop the wood. When he reached a ladder not to far from the front door, he stopped and looked up.

"HEY BROCK!", Ash called out. From the roof, the older teen peeked down below. He too was wearing a hard hat and boots, and had on work gloves and sunglasses as well.

"Oh, you got it already! That was quick!", Brock stated, referring to the wood Ash was carrying.

"Yeah, where am I supposed to bring this?", Ash asked.

"Uh, hold on, let me see", Brock said. He then turned his head over to the side, looking towards someone else. Although Ash could not see up there, he knew that the only other person up there at the moment was Gary, who was helping Brock with the shingles. "Gary, where does the wood go again?", Brock asked. Gary, who was wearing a similar attire to Brock, stopped hammering shingles down for a second and looked to him.

"They go over to the right side of the house, near Drew", Gary said, showing with his hands where they should go. Brock nodded.

"Right, gotcha. You got that Ash?", Brock asked, looking back down to the floor. Ash nodded.

"Right side, by Drew, got it!", Ash said. He then carefully turned around, making sure not to hit anyone or anything with the wood and progressed towards the destination. When he reached Drew, he placed the wood down carefully and clapped his hands together to remove the saw dust from his hands. "There's the wood Drew", Ash said. Drew, who was kneeling on the ground and making measurements on a piece of wood, turned around briefly to see the wood, and then went back to the measurements.

"Thanks Ash", Drew said. He was not trying to be rude, but he was concentrating on the numbers in his head and on the measuring tape, making sure to get the exact numbers he needed for the project he was working on. One inch could mean the difference between a stable or unstable structure.

"Do you know where Misty is?", Ash asked. Drew quickly wrote down the numbers he had in his head onto the wood in pencil and then stood up, allowing the measuring tape to slip back into its metal case. He thought for a moment.

"Last time I saw her, she was helping May with the windows", Drew said. Ash nodded.

"Alright, thanks", Ash said. He then walked away from Drew, leaving him to work on the measurements. Drew smirked, finding it amusing that Ash couldn't be away from Misty for five minutes, even when they were all working. Ash walked through the home, trying to find the girls. The windows were installed only in the back end of the house since that side had the most done. When he reached the end of the house, he looked around. It only took a few seconds for him to see and hear the two placing in a window.

The section where the window was being placed in was eventually going to be the living room of the home, (according to the owners of the house). From where he was standing, he could see Misty on the outside of the house while May was on the inside, so that the two could better position the glass when they placed it in. The group as a whole did not have much experience in construction. Tracy, being a sketch artist, was decent at drawing up architectural blue prints of the homes, while Brock had minor experience with typical repairs after watching over the gym for so long. The rest of the group however were basically learning as they went along. Volunteers or hired workers with experiences in these trades would often either come in for assistance or, more commonly, taught the lesser experienced workers the basics before they would come in and check up on them.

From the outside, Misty glanced over and saw Ash. He smiled and waved to her, which caused Misty to smile back, (her hands were full, so she did not wave). May, who's back was to Ash, saw Misty smiling and immediately knew who it was that was behind them.

"Hey Ash!", May said. Ash snickered slightly and approached the girls from behind.

"Hey, how's it coming along?", Ash asked, bringing up small talk.

"Well, we already got one window in over there, where the bathroom is going to be", May said. Ash turned to his right and looked into a separate room of the house. The walls in this room were already up, (except for the outside was on the far end, which had not been completed yet). A new toilet, sink, and tub/shower installation had already been purchased, but not yet installed until a volunteer with plumbing experience could come and examine the pipes. On the completed wall was a window, completely installed and set. Ash nodded approvingly.

"Nice job!", Ash said. The girls smiled.

"Well I'm glad we got _your _approval", Misty said jokingly. Ash stuck his tongue out at her in response, which resulted in a giggle from her. Ash smiled when she did this, he LOVED it when she giggled.

"Hey, where's Dawn?", Ash asked. May, not being able to turn around, pointed with her head to the back.

"She's working on placing in the boards for the walls", May said. Ash turned around and sure enough, there was Dawn, her back to them and only feet away from the ladder where he had stopped to talk to Brock. He was amazed that he didn't see her there. She was busy hammering away at small nails she held into place. Because she was just under the age limit to be allowed to operate the heavy machinery and inexperienced with measurements she was left to place the plywood along the walls for structure. Although this was a easy task that anyone could do, it was very important, so Dawn was more than happy to take over the job. Ash watched as she suddenly took a swing with the hammer and then immediately jumped up with a yelp, holding her thumb and saying "Ow" repetitively. Ash and the girls sweatdropped. Misty then brought her attention back to May.

"Ok May, we need to slide this in here alright?", Misty said. May, holding up the majority of the window, nodded. But it was apparent that she was struggling. As she tried to slip in the window, she found herself losing a grip on the frame. Ash quickly ran over to her side and took the weight off of her, allowing her to take a step back and take a breath.

"Oh, wow. Thanks Ash. I almost dropped it. I don't know why, I'm just, tired", May said, sighing. Ash nodded.

"Why don't you take a rest May, you've been working hard", Ash said. May nodded in agreement.

"Ok, I'll go do that. I just need some water and a breather. Thank you!", May said, she then walked off, heading to the front of the house where the group's lunch boxes were left. Brock had made them all their own lunches so that they could eat there on their breaks. Breakfast and Dinner was supplied for them at the local Pokemon Center, where they and other volunteers stayed during their trip there.

Ash brought his attention back to Misty and the window.

"Ok then, what am I supposed to do here?", Ash asked. He had not worked on windows at all since his arrival. He worked mostly on the framework and floor boards of the homes before eventually doing grunt work until he worked on the roof with Brock and Gary.

"You slide the window into these spots here and then we tighten them into place. After that we have to take some measurements to make sure it's fit in properly and then we make it more waterproof", Misty explained. Ash nodded.

"Alright then", Ash said. He helped slide the window into place, which only took a few seconds. After he did so, Misty looked at it briefly and then lifted the glass open.

"Nice! Now, I need you to step back and tell me if it looks right. If there's anything that looks amiss then that means we did something wrong", Misty said. Ash nodded and stepped back, taking a careful look at the window they had just placed in. He checked all four sides and corners of the once open gap and then nodded.

"Looks all good to me", Ash said. Misty nodded.

"Alright, I'll take your word for it...although I may regret that later", Misty said with a giggle. Ash smiled, hearing that giggle he loved so much once again. "Hey, where's Pikachu?", Misty asked. The majority of Pokemon from the volunteers also helped out, although because of their abilities, they mostly worked on large scale projects such as city buildings or, in the case of the Orange Islands, cleaned up the islands from the winds and flooding. This involved them cleaning up the natural surroundings, as was their nature. Pikachu on the other hand, decided to stay and help Ash and the others.

"Oh, he's...around. Brock gave him a hammer and screwdriver and asked him to pull out old nails and screws around the house", Ash said. He then turned around and looked to the far end corner of the home, near where the front door will be installed. From there, Ash and Misty watched as he held a hammer and placed the back end of it between a rusted, bent nail and began to pull hard. Like the others around him, he wore a small hard hat that caused his ears to pop out on opposite sides. He pulled and pulled, but due to his small size and lack of arm muscle, he could not pull the nail out. Frustrated, he did was he always did, shot the nail with a Thundershock attack. This however proved to be useful, as it seemed to cause the nails to become hot and slightly burn the holes they were in, allowing them to come out very easily. Ash and Misty laughed out loud at the little yellow rodent.

"That's so cute", Misty said. Ash nodded.

"Well you know how he is", Ash said. Misty nodded.

"Yeah, hot headed, just like his trainer", Misty said with a smile. Ash grinned cheekily. Misty then turned around and looked on the ground. "Alright, now we need to place a metal flashing over the top of the window...". On the ground were many tools and supplies, including all of the pieces for the windows and things for the roof as well. She bent down to pick up a long, thing, white piece of metal that would be bent and placed over the top of the window frame for structure and water protection. As she bent down, Ash looked at her and sighed.

Everyone knew that Ash had the hots for Misty, it was more than obvious. Why the two did not physically go out with each other was a mystery, most figured it was because they were too naive to even realize how they felt about each other. But that didn't stop Ash from occasionally checking her out. She had done it plenty of times, even when they used to travel together. Mostly he would do it without anyone knowing, but occasionally someone like Brock or Tracy or once even Misty's sisters would catch him in the act. They of course would not let him live it down. Misty, due to the heat, wore short shorts, (her usual attire), and construction boots with a hard hat, causing her one sided pony tail to stick out, much like Pikachu's ears.

As she bent down, her curves and butt were much more visible as her legs seemed to glisten in the sun from the tiny beads of sweat. Misty was by no means unattractive or out of shape. Actually, even May and Dawn, Ash had to admit, were both extremely attractive. And there were moments before where he would admire them for their sexy figures, but it was Misty who he felt the most for. Mostly because of their history together and her personality. Whereas May and Dawn had great personalities, they were no Mistys.

Ash gave a wolf whistle as Misty was bent over, causing Misty to abruptly blush heavily and turn back to him, still however bent over. Ash gave a wink and laughed for a moment or two. The two would often play little jokes on each other like this, and it didn't really seem to bother each other, in fact, they both rather enjoyed it. Although it would _always _result in a heavy blush from one and sometimes both of them. Misty couldn't help but laugh, although she quickly moved herself so that her "features" were not as noticeable.

As she looked on the ground, she spotted a piece of scrap wood, which was cut off of a board with a circular saw for being too long. She picked up the small, light piece of wood and playfully threw it at Ash. It went through the open window and bounced off of Ash's hard hat. Of course the hard hat protected him from the blow, so he merely laughed at the attempt, as did Misty.

"Ok goofball, why don't you come out here and help me place the flashing on", Misty said. Ash, still smiling like a fool from the playful fight they had, carefully crawled out the window they had placed and approached her. She picked up the metal flashing and handed it to Ash, who held it tightly. It was hot from being in the sun, but it didn't seem to bother Ash too much. "Alright, we have to see that it's bent properly and then once we do, nail it into place and caulk the holes for water protection".

"That's what _she _said!", Ash responded. Misty looked at him, almost confused. "Wow Misty, you have a _really _dirty mind now! I want to know what happened to the sweet innocent girl I was friends with years ago!", Ash said with a cheeky grin. Misty sighed.

"No Ash, CAULK, not...oh nevermind!", Misty said with a giggle. She grabbed a hammer and some small nails from the ground and the two walked over to the window. Ash placed the flashing over the window, adjusting it so that it fit perfectly over where it needed to be. "Good, it fits", Misty said. She then carefully and lightly nailed the flashing in place. When she finished, the two stepped back to see their work. "Looks good. Now Ash, do you happen to have a caulk gun?", Misty asked. She immediately looked at Ash, and could see that he had something he wanted to say because he was grinning like a fool. "And I swear to god if you make another sexual joke I'm gonna bop you".

"...damn", Ash said, jokingly disappointed. Misty giggled.

"_Wow Ash, you have a really dirty mind! I want to know what happened to the sweet innocent boy I was friends with years ago", _Misty joked, copying his quote and even mimicking his voice. Ash grinned slyly.

"He noticed how hot you were", Ash said. Misty blushed immensely and looked away from him.

"Pft, I'm not hot", Misty said. Although clearly inheriting some of the same looks as her sisters did, she was not as shallow as them, and in fact was even at times self conscious about her body, even though she would often wear a bathing suit around the gym. Suddenly, without warning, Misty was grabbed from behind and before she knew it, she was turned around and pressed against the wall of the house. In shock, she looked up to Ash, who looked at her with combination of a cheeky, sexy, and even romantic expression.

"I think you need to get your eyes checked then, because what _I _see is a slamming hottie", Ash replied. The two teens couldn't help but blush from the close proximity they were having at the moment. They were only an inch or so apart.

"...well...if it means anything to you...I think you're a hottie as well", Misty said, finding it hard to breath at the moment. Ash smiled.

"...it does", Ash replied. The two stared at each other for a few seconds before slowly, Ash began to get closer and closer to Misty. Neither one of them could believe what was going on, but they did nothing to stop it. Eventually, the gap between them closed and Ash pressed his lips against Misty's. They closed their eyes and took a deep breath, taking in the passion of the kiss. Misty was tensed up at first, but eventually sighed and leaned in to the kiss more. After a few seconds, (though it felt like minutes), Misty slowly and carefully grabbed Ash's hand and dragged it down. The two grew hotter as Misty carefully placed Ash's hand onto her butt.

Feeling a sudden burst of passion and hormones, Ash grabbed onto Misty's legs and lifted her up, pressing her against the wall of the house. Misty immediately wrapped her arms around Ash's neck and the two began to kiss even more passionately. She rubbed her fingers through his hair while he gently slid his hands up and down her thighs. The two kissed deeper and deeper, eventually beginning a heavy make out.

After several minutes of this, the two separated, needing a breather. They took heavy breaths and looked at each other, both smiling and even giggling like little children. They felt silly for what they were doing together, but they didn't care. Ash then gently began to kiss up and down Misty's neck as she looked up, her eyes closed slightly and her mouth just slightly ajar. She sighed as he continued the kisses, not biting, just simple kisses.

Suddenly, the two teens heard the sound of someone clearing their throat. Misty, who was still facing the sky, opened her eyes to see Gary, looking down on them. His glasses hung on barely due to his face looking down upon them. Her froze, completely shocked that he had been watching them. He couldn't help but smirk.

"Listen, I'm happy for you, and Imma let you finish...but could you hand me those shingles down there?", Gary asked. Ash, who had been frozen with shock and fear, looked up, saw Gary, and then looked back to Misty. Immediately, he placed her down and grabbed the shingles as Misty straightened herself out and acted like nothing had happened. Ash climbed up the ladder that was positioned against the wall only about fifteen feet away from them and handed Gary the pile of long shingles. Up there, he caught a glimpse of Brock, who was looking at Ash, cracking up constantly. The amount of embarrassment Ash felt was unbelievable. Gary smirked even more.

"Thank you, you can go back to macking out with Misty, god knows you two need it", Gary said. Ash gave him a dirty look, but climbed back down the ladder anyway. As he reached the bottom, he looked over to Misty, who was leaning against the wall, one foot resting against it while the other supported her from the ground. Her arms were crossed and she looked at Ash, not angrily, just staring. Ash walked up to her and looked into her eyes. They shared eye contact for a bit until Ash looked down at the ground.

"Listen, how about we just", before Ash could finish, Misty pressed her finger to Ash's lips, silencing him. He looked at her confused. Misty shook her head and smiled.

"No...this happened...and I'm glad it did. I've been wanting to...to be with you...to be your girlfriend, for a long time. Years...actually", Misty said, somewhat ashamed of herself. Ash smiled. He grasped Misty's hand in his and kissed it gently.

"And I've been wanting to be your boyfriend...for just as long", Ash said. Misty smiled, her heart skipping a beat.

"I'm so glad to hear that...so then, we shouldn't be afraid of what happened here...I'm all yours", Misty said, slowly using the hand that Ash had to grip hers and gently press it to her leg, which was still up. Ash felt her soft skin and looked deeply into Misty's eyes. Misty then used her other hand and put it around Ash's neck. "...and you're all mine", she finished. The two smiled even more and then embraced in yet another kiss.

Hard labor has _many_ benefits

**You know, not for nothing, but I REALLY liked this chapter. I don't know if it was because I thought I wrote it well, or I wrote it from experiences from my trip a couple years ago to New Orleans for similar work, (minus the girl experiences mind you). Either way, I hope you all enjoyed it! As I'm writing this A.N., I am sitting on my upper story deck, which allows me to look over the entire lake at which I live at. The cool breeze, the warm sun, watching the carp and bass jump out of the water as herons and other birds fly by and feast. It really is a calming sight. (sigh). Well, enough of that, let's pick the word for my next chapter! Next chapter will be the letter "M", and the word is...(looks through dictionary and picks word at random)..."Model". That should be pretty easy. Expect a Contestshipping, (DAML) coupling for the next chapter, haven't done one of those in awhile. Well, until next time, this is EVAN AAML, see ya!**

**sincerely,  
evan, a fan of aaml -EVAN AAML **


	14. Model

**Hello everyone! For those of you who have been reading this AND "R", I know that it seems like I'm updating a lot, it's because I have the time. For those who only read this story and NOT "R", I realize it's been awhile, my apologies. Anywho, I think I'm going to use this chapter for a DAML, since it's been awhile and I have a slight idea for it. I'll find out what word I'll use for next chapter later on, but I think I'm going to make the next chapter a Dawn/Paul coupling, or at least a chapter for them. This is by request from Timprime1. But that's for later on, let's get going with this one!**

**-EVAN AAML**

"It's dripping you know", Drew said, looking at May's ice cream cone. The pink ice cream began to melt from the top of the cone and drip down her hands and onto the pavement below. May looked down from the railing she was leaning on.

"Uh...oh yeah", May said, now realizing the mess. She began to lick the ice cream off of her hands and the side of the cone, making sure that it wouldn't drip again.

"Something on your mind?", Drew asked. It was rare for the two to be able to hang out together like this, especially with the Pokemon Contest Anniversary going on, Hoenn had contests left and right. So needless to say, he was glad to be able to see her for once outside a contest. But something seemed to be bothering May, and he wanted to know what it was.

"No...not really", May answered, still licking the ice cream. Drew looked at her carefully and licked his own green and black ice cream.

"I doubt that", Drew replied.

"What makes you say that?", May asked, finally taking a break from the ice cream and looking at him. Drew wanted to laugh at the mess she had made all over her face, but instead merely handed her a napkin.

"Well, you've said a whole two words to me since we met up here, you walked into tons of people not paying attention, and when we were in that store back there you sat on the bench the entire time. Since when would you rather sit instead of shop?", Drew asked. By this time May had wiped off all of the messy ice cream from her mouth.

"...no money?", May suggested. It was a terrible lie.

"...yeah, I'm calling bull shit on that", Drew said. May gasped.

"LANGUAGE!", May yelled. Drew forgot, May didn't like it when he swore.

"Sorry...I still think you're lying though", Drew said.

"Just because I've been...absent minded, doesn't mean that I have something on my mind", May said. Drew scoffed.

"Listen, I know what you're like when you're absent minded, I've seen you absent minded PLENTY of times. And I know when you have something you're thinking a lot about, and this is one of those moments", Drew said.

"...ok, so if I had something on my mind, what business is it of yours?", May asked. Drew shrugged.

"It's none of my business, and you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I was just curious, and honestly, concerned", Drew explained. May smiled.

"Aww! You're concerned?", May asked, her eyes wide and gleaming. Drew sweatdropped. She found _everything _romantic. Drew looked back to his ice cream.

"Don't think much into it. I wanted to hang out with you, and it's hard to do that when you're out of it", Drew explained. May sighed.

"I'm sorry Drew. I don't mean to be this way, honest. Truth is...yes, there IS something on my mind", May said. Drew looked to May, licking his ice cream.

"And what would that be?", Drew asked. May looked down to her ice cream. Nearly all of it was gone by this time, and what was left was soaking into the cone. A small bit of it dripped off of the cone and onto the pavement again, but she ignored it this time.

"...do you think I could be a model?", May asked. Drew looked quizzically at the girl beside him. That seemed to be a completely random thing for her to be thinking about.

"A...model?", Drew asked.

"Yeah...a model. Do you think I could be a model? You know, magazines, t.v., things like that?", May asked. Drew was uncertain of what to say. He knew that May was more materialistic than her friends, though this wasn't a bad trait for her. And he knew that she loved things like modeling. But he never even considered her trying to be one for real.

"Uh...I guess? I mean, you have the looks for a model. But you don't have experience with it", Drew said. May nodded.

"Yeah, that's true. But you have to start somewhere", May said. She then completely polished off the remains of the ice cream just like that. Drew still had plenty to go with his, and he wasn't going to hurry himself just to get going already.

"...why would you ask?", Drew asked. May was quiet for a bit, which allowed Drew to work on his ice cream. He knew that this wasn't just something going through her head like usual, so he was patient.

"Well...remember the last contest we did?", May asked. Drew nodded.

"Yeah, you won that one. You've actually won a lot of the ones in Hoenn this year", Drew pointed out. Because of the anniversary year, there were contests in every city and town for a major tournament at the end of the year, the biggest one ever in all of the regions. So far May had won five of the contests, Drew only two, although they still had more than enough time to get more. The two of them were among the top five favorites to win the tournament as a whole.

"Right...well remember afterwards, when we were going to leave, and that guy was talking to me? The older gentleman?", May asked. Drew recalled back to the moment. The two of them were going to go to dinner together in celebration for her win and a older man stopped to talk to her.

"Yeah, you said that he was just talking about the contest", Drew said. May nodded.

"Yeah. That's what I said...but we didn't talk about the contest", May said. Drew became much more interested now. He completely ignored his ice cream, not caring if it dripped away. "He was actually one of the chairmen for the Pokemon Contest Anniversary. And he asked me if...if I could be a model for the ads".

"A model for the Pokemon Contest Anniversary ads? Like, posters, magazines, t.v.?", Drew asked. May nodded, blushing slightly. Drew was quite shocked by this news.

"Wow. I mean, I knew you were popular with coordinating, but I didn't think you'd me looked for for modeling", Drew said.

"Yeah, me either", May said. The two were quiet for awhile after that. Drew finished nearly all of his ice cream by this time. Many people walked past them, most of which going about their way, too busy to stop. Some people did recognize them and whispered to others about the young teens, others immediately began to pull out their Pokenavs and talk to people, telling them who they had just seen. The teens ignored the people around them. Before they never got the attention, but after a few years of always being in the finals, they had grown used to the attention. May finally broke the silence. "So...do you think I could do it?", May asked.

"Well...like I said earlier, you have the looks for it. There isn't much to modeling I'd imagine. You barely talk, it's almost always photos", Drew explained. He then looked over to her.

"Do you think they'll be pushy? Barking orders and making me pose in ways I don't want to?", May asked.

"I doubt it. You're still a kid, and they know you're not really a model. Besides, these people aren't really modeling agencies like you see on t.v.", Drew explained. "How much would you get paid for this anyway?".

"Uhm...well, from what the chairman said, I wouldn't have to worry about dresses or Pokemon essentials for the tournament", May explained. Drew gave out a whistle impressed, that was a lot of money. Pokemon battles were much harder to do and took longer to reach their tournaments, but one thing they were was cheap. Pokemon contests cost a lot of money for people to participate in.

"That'll be nice. A lot less for you to worry about that's for sure", Drew remarked. May nodded.

"Yeah, that's true. But...I still don't know if I'll do it or not", May said. Drew looked over to her once again.

"Why? Do you think you can't? Are you afraid?", Drew asked.

"Yeah, a little bit. I mean, I had no problem being on television for the contests, but it never lasted, so I never worried about it. But this...I'll be everywhere. I could be in every person's household if I do this", May said. Drew couldn't help but smirk.

"I thought you loved the attention!", Drew said. May gave him a scowl, which was what he expected from her.

"Not like that", May answered.

"Ohhhh, I see. I didn't know there was a difference", Drew said with a hint of sarcasm.

"You know you're no help at all", May said with a huff. Drew gave in.

"Ok, ok. This is my honest opinion...so long as you don't let the modeling get to your head, and so long as you don't let it interfere with your training or contests...then I think you would be great at it", Drew said. May looked at him.

"Really?", May asked, wanting reassurance. Drew nodded.

"Sure. I mean, why not? I think you would be a good example for little kids who look up to you. Kids who want to be Pokemon Coordinators _or _models. And plus you have all of the characteristics people look for in models", Drew explained. May liked hearing this particularly. She leaned in closer to him to listen.

"Really?", May asked. Drew nodded.

"Yeah. You're photogenic, you get along with people, you're not stuck up like other models, and on top of that, you're...", Drew said, he stopped himself. This got May's attention.

"What? I'm what?", May asked, smiling and leaning closer to him. She had an idea what he wanted to say, but she wanted to hear him say it.

"Nothing...I forgot", Drew said, blushing and looking away. He wondered if covering his face in the ice cream would make it too cold to blush. He doubted it. So instead he gulped down the entire cone. He waited for a second, expecting brain freeze to take over. It didn't.

"Hmm...well, thank you. I appreciate it", May said. The two teens remained there for awhile longer, leaning against the rail and watching the people and cars go by. Eventually, May decided to get up and slowly walk down the sidewalk. Drew turned to her, watched her move for a bit, and then followed close behind. May put her hands up and interlocked her fingers behind her head while Drew walked with his hands in his pockets.

"Hey May", Drew said. May did not turn around but did slightly turn to acknowledge him.

"Yes?", May asked.

"Those modeling pictures, how do they intend to do them? Like, what will you look like?", Drew asked. May thought for a moment.

"Well...I would imagine my normal outfits, that goes without saying. And probably a few of the outfits I wear for the first half of the contests", May answered.

"I see...anything less revealing?", Drew asked. May smiled, although Drew could not see this. She knew that he was thinking about that the entire time.

"Well...tell you what. How about we go back to the hotel room...and I give you some sneak previews", May said. Drew blushed immensely and looked at her in shock. May glanced over to Drew with a smirk and winked. She then immediately ran off ahead. Drew couldn't help but laugh and follow quickly after her.

**There we go, short, sweet, and to the point. Just the way a one shot should be. It wasn't much of an update, but I wanted to get it done for you all, so...yeah. Be sure to review, favorite, and alert! :D Now them, let's get right to the main point of the ending A.N.s, the next word for the next chapter, letter "N" shall be...(grabs a dictionary and picks word at random. "...Nurture...". Actually, that will work PERFECTLY for a story involving Paul, since you all know how he can be...the douche bag. XD Rude, yes, but he's fictional, and a jerk, so I don't care. Anyway, I hope you all liked this chapter and be sure to be on the look out for any and all updates of mine. Until then, this is EVAN AAML, signing off!**

**sincerely,  
evan, a fan of aaml -EVAN AAML **


	15. Nurture

**I hope you all had a great Halloween, for those who celebrated it. I don't think that a lot of other countries around the globe celebrate that one, for those who do I hope you enjoyed it. Whether you went out with friends, stayed home and handed out candy, or went and got some for yourself! Anyway, I realize it's been awhile since I've updated this story. For those of you wondering why it took me so long, just check the A.N. (Author's Note) at the end of my latest chapter of "R" and it will all be explained. Anywho, let's get onto the next chapter of "The Alphabet Game" with the word "Nurture". **

**-EVAN AAML**

He looked onto the Pokemon in front of him, disgusted. It was covered in dirt and scratches and was panting heavily. It managed to pick itself off of the ground after several attempts and look back at its trainer with a mix of fear and worry. When it met with its trainer's eyes, all it saw was an emotionless expression, like a stone wall, cold and impenetrable. Surrounding the cold trainer were several Pokemon, all of them looking at the Pokemon with wicked grins. They were tougher than the injured one, and knew it. They were much like the trainer himself, only interested in brute strength.

The injured Pokemon was a Chimchar, a newbie Pokemon given to new trainers when they begin their journey in Sinnoh. It panted as it turned to face its trainer, ready for the "training" to continue. The boy kept looking at it, still as cold as ever. The Chimchar did nothing but try to please its trainer, but it seemed that it was an impossible feat. it was simply too young to be as powerful as the trainer wanted it to be.

The trainer, as cold, hard, and pale as steel, was Paul. Surrounding him were but a few of his Pokemon. Ursaring, Honchkrow, Weavile, and Torterra. All of them were powerful, all of them strong, and all of them heartless. Paul merely pointed at the Chimchar and the four Pokemon lunged at it. Chimchar tried to dodge, but it was already tired and worn from the previous beatings. All it could do was stand there and take the hits. First Weavile slashed at it with its claws, then Ursaring punched it into the air, followed by a smack in the face by Honchkrow's wings, and followed up by a bullet seed attack by Torterra.

It fell to the ground, beaten even more than before. It coughed, trying to catch its breath and recover. As sad as this was, it was typical for Chimchar to be trained in this manner. It was used to it. Twice a week, sometimes three depending on the circumstances it would get beat, in hopes to make it stronger. It wasn't rare for it to be knocked unconscious or for it to sustain an ailment.

"Chimchar...", Paul said. Chimchar, hearing the voice of his trainer, tried to turn and face him. It ached so much that it couldn't even close its mouth and stop the drool from dripping out. How it wasn't filled with blood it would never know. The Chimchar met the eyes of the trainer, and finally saw some sign of emotion...disgust. "...you're pathetic", Paul finished. Chimchar whimpered, sad that it couldn't please its trainer.

The other Pokemon all laughed, enjoying the berating that their trainer was giving to the small Pokemon. For them this was entertainment. They loved seeing it. Paul however, was not amused.

"SHUT IT!", Paul yelled. The four Pokemon, their expressions switching immediately from amusement to fear and worry, became silent. Even them, as powerful as they were, were not immune to Paul's indifference. For him, you could not be too powerful. All of his Pokemon, no matter how powerful, were hit with his words and treated poorly when they showed any signs of weakness. Chimchar however, suffered more than the others. Paul kept his eyes onto the little ape like Pokemon, penetrating its soul.

"There's no hope for you is there?...It seems that no matter what I do, you're still always going to be the weak, useless Pokemon you are now!", Paul said. Chimchar whimpered. "QUIET!...I don't want to hear it! When I found you, you showed some promise, albeit only a little. I gave you a chance and time after time you've disappointed me, why should I even care how you feel?".

Chimchar stood up slowly and turned to face its trainer. It was panting heavily, and could black out at any second. It took two steps forward, and then fell onto its knee.

"Like I said, you can't even stand and walk let alone fight...let this be a lesson to you! Strength is all that matters in a battle! If you're not strong, then you're a loser...just like Chimchar", Paul said to his other Pokemon. They nodded, not wanting to upset their trainer anymore. Chimchar felt a pain in its chest, one more painful then anything Paul's Pokemon could inflict. His words always proved to be worse than any injury the training gave it.

"I can barely stand to look at you. I don't even know why I bother keeping you, consider yourself lucky. I'd give you to Reggie if I thought you had any _chance _of getting stronger, but clearly that's not the case", Paul said. He then turned around, his back to the injured Pokemon. Chimchar felt guilty and crushed. All it had ever wanted was to make Paul happy, but not once has it ever seen him even smile, let alone admit that he was proud of it.

"...teach Chimchar what true strength is...NOW!", Paul yelled. The Pokemon seemed confused by this comment. They had always beaten on Chimchar and were used to it by now, but they never went too far for fear of killing it. However their fear for Paul was worse than their worry for the fire type, and so the four Pokemon turned and prepared to attack. Chimchar could not even stand off on his knee let alone dodge or fight back. It knew that if they attacked, there was a chance that it wouldn't survive. Chimchar looked once more at Paul, begging with its eyes for forgiveness. Paul didn't even turn around. The four Pokemon lunged, and Chimchar closed its eyes.

"CUT IT OUT!", someone yelled. A voice different from Paul's.

"STOP!", another voice called out. This one was Paul's. Chimchar, expecting to have been hit by now, slowly opened its eyes, wondering what was going on. To its surprise, its eyes opened to a pair of legs standing before it. The bare skinned legs were connected to a pair of pink boots and black socks. From the other side of these pair of legs, Chimchar could see the four Pokemon standing in place, as if they were suddenly frozen in time before attacking. Paul was behind them, now facing Chimchar, though his attention was brought to the person before him. He looked shocked and angered.

Chimchar looked up to see the back of a long haired female, her arms extended out, as if she was prepared to take the hits for it. Chimchar recognized this girl from before. It had seen her a few times previously, always hanging out with two male humans. Though what she was doing here was a mystery. Chimchar looked on in shock, unable to believe that this female would not only appear out of no where and in the nick of time, but was willing to risk her own life to save it. Chimchar had never had someone show any form of care for it like this.

"Are you stupid? You could of gotten killed just then!", Paul said irritated. The female stood her ground, not budging.

"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO CHIMCHAR?", the female asked in anger. Paul scoffed.

"It's weak, I'm teaching it how to be strong", Paul answered. This seemed to only anger the girl more. She stomped her foot towards Paul.

"THIS ISN'T HOW YOU SHOW A POKEMON TO BE STRONG!", the girl said. Chimchar watched what was going on before it in wonder. It must of been a dream, it never had seen a single thing, Pokemon or human, stand up to Paul before. The girl then turned around to look at the injured Pokemon. Chimchar looked at it and saw a pair of glowing blue eyes, which sparkled in the sunlight. But unlike Paul's cold eyes, these eyes showed actual feelings, emotions, and all of them sincere and innocent. She smiled and bent down to examine the fire type. "Are you alright Chimchar?", the girl asked.

"Ch...chim...char", the ape like Pokemon responded. It was barely able to talk. Dawn slowly and gently caressed the Pokemon with her hand. Chimchar flinched, expecting to be hit, but was shocked to see that the touch was soft and caring.

"Don't worry...I won't hurt you", the girl said softly. Chimchar believed the young girl, and allowed her to pet it. She then gently picked it up to its shock and carried it over a few feet away. Chimchar looked to see that on the ground where she was heading was a backback and a pile of fire wood. While still holding Chimchar, she managed to bend down, open her bag, and pull out a small spray of some kind. The girl then aimed the spray at the Pokemon. "Listen, this may sting a bit, but I promise you it's going to help you get better. Ok?". Chimchar was hesitant at first, but thus far the girl had not done anything to prove herself heartless like its trainer, so it nodded.

The girl sprayed the liquid onto the Pokemon. As warned, it did sting once it made contact with its wounds. But also as promised, after a few sprays, it felt the soothing feeling of recovery and health. It would still be awhile before it reached its full strength, but the medicine definitely helped. Paul seemed annoyed.

"I don't know why you even bother, Chimchar doesn't deserve any special treatment. It hasn't proven itself to be a reliable fighter", Paul said, spitting his words out like venom. The girl turned her head and looked at Paul with disgust and anger.

"No Pokemon deserves to be treated like this! They all should be treated like friends! Loved ones! They try their hardest for you, you should be thankful!", the girl said back. All of Paul's Pokemon seemed shocked. Since Paul was their only trainer, they never knew of any other way of fighting other than brute strength and weeding out the weak. Paul seemed annoyed.

"Not this again! You've let Ash's stupid beliefs cloud you! That's why you'll never be a winner!", Paul said.

"I ALREADY AM A WINNER! UNLIKE YOU!", the girl yelled back immediately. The Pokemon all looked on in shock. They have never seen anything like this before. The girl placed Chimchar down gently onto the ground, gave it a pat on the head with a smile, and then turned back to Paul, changing her expression to anger. "Pokemon aren't meant to be tools for fighting and a show of power! They're your friends and family! And should be treated as such! They're willing to battle or compete for you, and you should respect and thank them like you would a friend. I knew that even before I met Ash. You may win a few battles, but you'll soon find that you won't be able to compete with someone who truly loves and respects their Pokemon. That's why you're already a loser!".

Paul looked on at the girl with no signs of emotion. He had listened to every word the girl had said, but did not let them get to him. He refused to give her that benefit. He stepped forward, to get closer to the girl, but stopped once he was in-between his other Pokemon.

"You know, you have some nerve telling me how to raise my own Pokemon. You can barely even raise your own! For that matter, I don't even remember your name, that's how insignificant you are", Paul said coldly. The Pokemon were afraid, knowing how cold and brutal their trainer could be. The female on the other hand showed no signs of fear or backing down.

"My name's Dawn! And you're right, I am still learning how to train my Pokemon. I am a new trainer, I still have a lot to learn about training. But I already know that I'm on the right path! I've created a bond with all of my Pokemon, and I treat them with the love and respect they deserve! I love them, and they love me! We compete and train and live as a family! And that's the way it should be! You're Pokemon are afraid of you, and I can see why. You're cold and cruel to them. They shouldn't be treated as such...", the girl named Dawn explained. She then turned around, her expression changing once again to that of happiness and care. She picked up Chimchar, who was already recovering some of its strength, and cradled it in her arms.

"...Pokemon should be nurtured, cared for. Only with the proper nurture can you ever hope to raise a truly strong Pokemon", Dawn finished. Chimchar looked at the girl in wonder. No one had ever shown it the care and love that she was giving it now, and she didn't even know it! She was truly the opposite of Paul. Chimchar, feeling the care that Dawn was giving it, suddenly felt stronger. It smiled and laughed as it began to climb out of Dawn's arms and onto her head, beating its chest and showing its muscles. Dawn giggled at the little goofball, knowing that Chimchar was feeling exactly as it should.

Paul on the other hand looked on in genuine shock, though he didn't show it much. He knew how badly Chimchar was injured, and couldn't believe that it would recover this quickly. The spray Dawn had used was merely a Potion, and wouldn't be this effective this fast. It couldn't be from Dawn nurturing it...could it?

Not wanting to feel wrong or defeated, he merely scoffed. He pulled from his belt four Pokeballs and aimed them at their respective Pokemon.

"Ok you all, return!", Paul said. The four Pokemon, still not able to believe the conversation that unfolded before them, turned and looked at their trainer. They had never seen Paul this way, almost as if he was hiding defeat. But ultimately, their fear caved in, and they nodded and were soon zapped into their Pokeballs. Paul placed the Pokeballs back onto his belt and then looked at Dawn and Chimchar. He clearly showed some disgust, but there were other emotions there, some that Chimchar couldn't recognize on him. Dawn on the other hand looked on, not smiling, but not backing down either.

Paul turned around and placed his hands in his jacket pockets. He then began to walk away, not looking back at the female who had the guts to talk to him that way. Before he left however, he stopped in place.

"Chimchar!...Come on!", Paul said. He clearly still had the authoritative tone in his voice, but it wasn't as threatening or powerful as before. Chimchar seemed confused, uncertain of how to react to this. In its confusion, it turned to look at Dawn. Dawn turned her head to Chimchar and nodded. She knew that it was safe for it now to go. Chimchar nodded back, and hopped off of Dawn's shoulder to meet with its trainer. Chimchar, much stronger now, was able to quickly scurry to Paul's feet. It looked up to Paul, waiting to leave. Paul did not look at Chimchar, nor turned to look at Dawn. Instead, he began to walk. Chimchar quickly followed, making sure to keep up with him.

However, before Chimchar did take the time to turn and look at Dawn, who remained where she was standing. Only now she had a smile on her face. She waved goodbye to Chimchar, knowing that she had protected it, and possibly even, given it a much better life.

**That seems like a good enough ending right there! I hope you all enjoyed this little chapter! I thought it was different, a break from my typical writing into a different direction. I like to challenge myself occasionally and this was no different. Not much else to say here, so I'll get right into picking the word for the next chapter! "..."Obediant"...". Haha, I can already see a few good possibilities for the next chapter; both for comedy and intense romance! XD Well I'll update it when I can, and I hope you all enjoyed this latest update! Be sure to continue reading this and "R" and I will catch you all next time!**

**sincerely,  
evan, a fan of aaml**

**P.S.- Expect an update for "Christmas The Sequel" sometime soon as well! :D**

**-EVAN AAML **


	16. Obedient

**Been awhile since I've updated this huh? My apologies friends for the long delay. As some of you may already know, I've been working hard on "R" since I've gotten a lot of ideas for it as of late. On top of that, I am going back to school, which takes up my entire weekend. Because of that, I'll only be able to update on weekends if I'm lucky. Needless to say the updates will be coming a lot slower than expected. My apologies for this. But you know how it is. Well, for those of you who have forgotten, the word I chose at random last time was "Obedient". And as always, I am going to improvise the chapter entirely as I write it. So tell me what you think in your reviews! :)**

**-EVAN AAML**

"Do I have to?"

"Of course you do"

"But, I mean, really?"

"Yes, really!"

Ash sighed heavily, there was no arguing with this girl. The lack of desire for him to give her a foot massage was beyond evident, but it didn't matter to her. Not that she extremely wanted one herself, but the fact that Ash didn't want to give her one was more than enough reason to make him do it. She couldn't help but giggle as Ash sighed and lifted her bare legs to place them on his lap. His face showed so much distaste that she almost felt bad...the keyword being _almost_.

Ash hadn't lost a bet, he wasn't being forced to do anything for her, he didn't owe her anything, he was just whipped, plain and simple. He had no idea how to say no to her. She wasn't sure why either, although ideas came to her head. She figured it was just because he didn't know how. Ash actually enjoyed giving Misty massages, it was something he was naturally good at, but he hated massaging feet. Misty wasn't sure why, probably because feet were normally dirty, and Ash had a thing about that.

But despite this, here he was, now giving Misty a foot massage, while Misty laid on the couch and enjoyed the comfort. Ash had decided to take a long deserved break from training, (something that made the others worry, although he assured them it was because he merely wanted a break), and in doing so, had Misty and his other friends come over more often. His mom had gone shopping today, and Pikachu decided to hang out at the lab with his other Pokemon friends, which left Ash home alone with Misty, (who had slept over from the night before and would for another few days).

"Oh...yeah...that feels good!", Misty said, sighing dreamily. Despite Ash's distaste for the massage, he was giving it all he had, and Misty could feel it. Ash sighed heavily as well, but not in enjoyment.

"I really don't like you", Ash said. Misty scoffed.

"Yeah you do", Misty retorted matter of factly. Ash sighed.

"Yeah I do", Ash immediately gave in.

"Mind if I ask you something Ash?", Misty asked, somewhat more on a serious note. Ash glanced over to her briefly and then looked back to the feet he was massaging.

"Yeah, sure", Ash said. Misty looked up to the ceiling while Ash continued the massage.

"...Why are you so whipped?", Misty asked. Ash gasped and looked over to her in shock and anger.

"I'M NOT WHIPPED!", Ash yelled. Misty couldn't help but giggle a little bit at the comment. Ash's voice had deepened a lot since they were children, and it was clear that he was a grown up adult now. It was not something that passed by the now also adult Misty either. However, when he got angry, his voiced tended to crack just slightly, reminding her of the days when they argued as children.

"Yes you are!", Misty said, with some laughter in her voice. Ash was not finding any humor in the conversation.

"NO I'M NOT!", Ash yelled back. Misty sat up now, which made it harder for Ash to massage her feet, but he still continued, despite the small argument they were having.

"Ash, you _never _say no to me! Even for things that you absolutely do NOT want to do! Sometimes I honestly feel bad for it! It's like...you're a Growlithe. You're so obedient", Misty explained. Ash looked away from her in protest.

"That's not true! I can say no to you whenever I want to!", Ash said.

"No you can't! Hell, here's an example right here! Look at what you're doing now! You're massaging my feet. You complained about not wanting to do it, but here you are, giving me one anyway!", Misty stated. Ash looked down to the young adult's feet. She was right. He whined and complained over the whole ordeal, but despite this, he was still doing it. Regardless, he still did not want to give Misty the benefit of the argument win.

"I figured that there was no point in not giving you one! There's nothing wrong with a foot massage! If I _really _didn't want to do it, I wouldn't!", Ash retorted. Misty sighed heavily. How could he be so stubborn? Not that she could really argue, she was just as bad.

"Ok then, fine, you know when to say no", Misty stated. Ash smirked, thinking he had one the argument. Something that rarely happened.

"I know I do", Ash said with an obvious air of confidence. Misty giggled very slightly, thought for a second, and then looked to Ash.

"Hey Ash, could you get me a glass of water?", Misty asked. Ash looked at her briefly, seeing her beautiful cerulean eyes, and then nodded.

"Yeah, sure", Ash said, gently lifting Misty's legs and preparing to get up. Misty sighed.

"You see! That was a test, you just failed it!", Misty yelled out. Ash stopped as he was lifting himself up, realized what he was doing, and sat back down in a huff, crossing his arms.

"You're a jerk!", Ash said. Misty scoffed.

"That's mature", Misty retorted back with a laugh. She then looked over to Ash, who was still clearly upset over the whole thing. "How come you are whipped Ash?", Misty asked, now more curious than provocative. Ash looked at her with some annoyance in his eyes.

"I'm not whipped!", Ash said.

"Oh just answer the question", Misty said. Ash looked at her again, Misty wasn't trying to trick him this time, she was merely curious, but Ash thought otherwise. He looked at her and with a large smirk on his face, answered.

"...No", Ash stated. Misty sat up and looked at Ash. She was a bit annoyed at his reply.

"Why not?", Misty asked.

"Because I'm not going to fall for that again! You wanted me to answer why I was whipped, which would in fact also prove I was whipped because I answered you. So no!", Ash replied. Misty looked at Ash for a moment, at first not understanding what he was going on about. But soon, she put two and two together and was slightly shocked. She hadn't even thought of that. She smirked. He not only annoyed her by not answering, but he managed to say no to her. A double win.

"Huh, didn't think you were that smart Ash", Misty scoffed. Ash smirked even more, this time diving towards Misty. Misty gasped as she fell back down onto the couch with Ash on top of her. He playfully punched her and tickled her, which caused her to laugh uncontrollably. The two fooled around for a minute or two, being loud and laughing all the while. Ash didn't really live very close to other people of Pallet, and no one else was home, so it didn't matter. Eventually however, Misty got tired from laughing, and Ash tired from tickling her. The two panted heavily as they remained on the couch, Ash still on top of Misty.

As they both tried to catch their breath, they looked at each other, with smiles on their faces. They hadn't had an argument, followed up with a playful fight, in a long long time. They felt like they were kids again. Good times. Ash gazed into Misty's eyes and smiled. Misty lowered her head back onto the couch and smiled dreamily.

"Kiss me", Misty said. She had asked this in a romantic, even innocent way. Ash, not one to miss a beat, smirked back.

"No", Ash responded with a smile. Misty sighed heavily and playfully smacked the back of his head. Ash smiled back, sticking his tongue out at her in reply. He then leaned forward and gave Misty a long kiss on the lips.

**Well, it was short, and it was to the point, but there you have it! I hope you all liked it! It's been awhile, so I had some trouble improvising for this chapter, but hopefully I'll get back in the groove soon enough. Please be sure to F.A.R.! I'm not sure when my next updates, (for any of my stories), will come, so please be patient. And now, the next chapter for "The Alphabet Game" will be entitled..."Plumber". Oh boy. Not sure how this one will go, probably another comedy for this chapter. Might have it a May/Drew pairing since it's been a couple chapters. Well, until next time everyone, this is EVAN AAML signing off!**

**sincerely,  
evan, a fan of aaml -EVAN AAML **


	17. Plumber

**Sorry for the delay again, as usual. I needed some time to do some things in real life, (mostly school related), and so it took me a lot longer than expected to work on this chapter. But here I am, and I hope you will enjoy it! Now the theme for this chapter is "Plumber", so expect some comedy. And as promised, I'll make this one DAML, (Contestshipping). I might EVENTUALLY throw in another romance or pairing, since it is getting a bit lower in the alphabet. But I find it harder to do some pairings, while AAML and DAML I have so much experience with. Oh well. Anyway, let's get to the chapter!**

**-EVAN AAML**

May stood a couple feet away, her finger to her neck as she shook her head. She merely watched on, knowing that this would not work out as well as they had planned. But she knew better than to intervene. There would be no point to doing so. Drew would never listen to her anyway, he could be so stubborn.

The drain to the sink had clogged, and because they had recently moved in together in a small little home in Hoenn, they didn't have a lot of money immediately. And so, wanting to save a few extra bucks, Drew took it upon himself to fix the problem.

Easier said than done.

May merely stood and watched the whole ordeal, wearing a pink apron around her waist. Her red bandanna on her head as always, preventing any sweat from coming down her face. Because they had just moved in, they were still renovating their new home. And, naturally, it was the hottest weather Hoenn had had in decades. Needless to say, the two often had some "bitter" moments. Drew hated the heat, and May was not a huge fan of it either, especially since she couldn't just lay out and tan with so much work to be done. She had grown up quite a bit from when she was a child, traveling with Ash, Brock, and her little brother Max. Although she hadn't retired from coordinating, she still decided to take it easy for now on. It was something a lot of her friends were doing in fact.

However, her maturity still didn't change the fact that she still didn't know how to fix a clogged drain.

Drew didn't either, but that wasn't going to stop him. He had been working on it for the last half an hour, and so far all he had accomplished is getting water all over the floor and getting himself covered in grease from the pipes. He did manage to remove a few of the pipes without breaking them, and that alone impressed May. Of course, her expectations for Drew on this particular project were low.

"Urgh, I almost got it!", Drew said, laying on his back under the sink. Half of his body was in a cabinet that was under the sink, while his legs were on the Kitchen floor, soaking up most of the water that had spilled. A long piece of cardboard was also on the floor, along with a bucket filled with sludge and the few pipes Drew had removed.

"Are you sure we should of done this on our own. I mean, it's one thing to take it all apart, it's another thing to put it all together again", May said. Drew grunted. He was not used to using tools. Although he did know some basic repair know how, he was still more of a pretty boy. Tools were just not his thing.

"Yes I'm sure! We can't afford a plumber May. Do you know how much it would cost to fix this? The house cost us nearly everything we had in our savings. We're lucky that we had a lot of furniture and stuff from our parent's houses, otherwise we'd be broke. We need to save every little cent we can until we get everything here straightened out", Drew said. Suddenly, there was a sound of liquid rushing threw sludge. The sound alone grossed May out and made her stand back in a hurry as Drew yelled. She already knew what had happened.

"Are you ok Drew?", May asked. Drew pulled himself out from under the sink and threw a large pile of sludge into the bucket. His face and neck were covered in water and small bits of sludge. He felt dirty and disgusting. But he knew that he had to get this done. Plus, he wanted to prove May wrong, and that alone made all the difference. May bent down to Drew and wiped off his face with her apron. He couldn't help but smile, and she couldn't either.

"You know, I appreciate you wanting to do all of this on your own, to help us save money. But things like this are just...over our heads. We may not have a lot of money, but I think we have enough for a plumber. Besides, we have that emergency stash remember?", May explained. Drew recalled their little "secret stash" of money they kept in their bedroom in a drawer. It was there in case of emergencies, such as a medical emergency, or if they needed money for food. Drew shook his head and waved his fingers back and forth.

"Oh no no no, we're not going to use our emergency stash for a plumber. Listen May, I know I'm not exactly a handy man, but I know I can handle a clog", Drew said. He then bent back down and pulled himself back under the sink, picking up his wrench and getting back to work on the pipes. May sighed and shook her head. There was no getting through this boy. "Now, can you do me a favor and look through that sludge for the clog? That way I'll know if I should keep looking or not". May sighed even more and turned to the bucket.

There really wasn't that much sludge in the short bucket, just a relatively small pile. Most of it was just stuff that was blended in the sink's disposal, along with water. But they had just moved in and really didn't use the sink a lot yet. She didn't know how long this was in the sink's pipes, and she would have to go through this sludge to look for the clog. As expected, she was not the least bit excited for this.

"Come on May, you're an adult now...you can do this", May said to herself. She then began to feel through the sludge. She could feel her throat clenching as the cold damp sludge moved around her fingers. Although she was clearly disgusted, it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. But, like Drew asked, she tried to find the clog. But all she felt was water and sludge. May sighed and whipped her hands down in the bucket, flinging off the sludge on her hands. "No, there's no clog in this", May said.

"Alright, how about in this?", Drew asked, quickly pulling himself out and flinging more sludge into the bucket. It splashed somewhat and May screamed slightly. She then stood up and wiped her hands off on her apron.

"You know, I wish Ash was here, he'd be able to fix this really quick", May said. Drew scoffed.

"Oh please, Ash wouldn't know how to turn the water on to the sink, let alone do the plumbing", Drew said. May put her hands on her hips.

"You know, Ash isn't a complete idiot. He is actually pretty good at handy things like this. In fact, when I called Misty the other day, she was telling me how he repaired the shingles on the roof all by himself", May said. Like May and Drew, Ash and Misty had recently bought themselves their own home; back in Kanto. They had gotten married just before, and it was at their wedding that Drew had talked to May about getting this home. It seemed like all of May and Drew's friends were settling down a little bit more now. Ash and Misty have had their own place for a month now, Brock had his own home for a year or so now, and Dawn was currently moving into an apartment in Sinnoh. And with her brother on his own Pokemon adventure and her father as busy as always being the Petalburg gym leader, she felt that it was a good time to move out.

Drew scoffed even more, although secretly he was quite jealous. Drew knew that May was not infatuated with Ash or any of her older friends. But it bothered him when she said how better they were at something than he was. Although he couldn't really blame her. He knew how much her friends meant to her, they were literally family to her after the years she's gotten to know them. And on top of that, he really didn't know as much about this kind of stuff than Ash did. But that wouldn't stop him from trying to prove her wrong.

He picked up the Aipom wrench and began to work at the pipes again. There were only a couple more pipes to go through before he would reach the bottom of the sink itself. He knew that the clog had to be in there somewhere. He removed yet another pipe and looked through it. This one, like the others, was for the most part clean. He could even see through part of it. So he placed it down near the other pipes and looked up the hole to the pipes connected still. He reached over to his side and grabbed a flashlight that he had been using to see through the pipes during this job. He clicked the yellow flashlight on and looked in the hole. He could see that a lot of sludge was built up in the next pipe. He smirked. This had to be it.

"Hey May, do me a favor and get me that bucket will you?", Drew said, reaching his free hand out from under the sink and towards her. May reached over and picked up the bucket and handed it to him. He carefully positioned himself around under the sink and placed the bucket under the pipes. He smirked as he pulled himself out from under the sink and stood up. "In about a few seconds I'm going to have this whole thing fixed!". May giggled at this.

"Well, I hope so!", May said with a giggle and a smile. Drew then bent down and picked up a wire that was connected to a winding piece of plastic. He bent down under the sink and stuck the wire up into the pipes. As to be expected, it was stuck and couldn't go through the sludge. He then stood back up and reached over the faucet. He placed his hands on one of the valves, but before he did anything, he turned and looked at May.

"Fingers crossed", Drew said. May crossed her fingers and gave a wink. Drew smirked. He then turned the valve. The water began to come through the faucet from the pipes Drew purposely ignored and go down the drain. At first, nothing happened, until the water began to fill the sink. Drew bent down and began to spin the stuck wire around in the pipe. He hoped that the combination of running water and the moving wire would unclog the pipes. Within seconds, sludge and water gushed out of the pipes and into the bucket. Drew laughed out loud as he quickly dropped the wire, stood up, and turned the water off.

May jumped up and down and clapped her hands. He had fixed the sink after all.

"Great job Drew! I never doubted you for a second!", May said. Drew flipped his hair back and looked at her.

"Oh please!", Drew said with a cocky attitude, although he meant it as a joke. May understood this. She winked and stuck her tongue out at him.

"Ok, maybe a LITTLE bit of doubt", May said. Drew laughed as he bent down and picked up the bucket, now filled with sludge and water. He put it into the sink and slowly put his hands through the water. He was trying to feel for something in particular. May got closer to him, wondering if he would pull out the clog. After a few seconds, Drew smiled. He pulled out of the water a small object and began to wipe it off. May sighed heavily in relief. Drew then turned around and took May's left hand in his. Slowly, he slid onto her hand a small gold ring with a beautiful diamond on it. May smiled as she looked at the ring.

"Next time, if I surprise you with something, don't drop it down the drain in shock", Drew said. May giggled a bit.

"Well in my defense, you shouldn't of surprised me with the question right there", May said.

"That reminds me, you never actually answered me did you? We just immediately panicked and went looking for the ring", Drew said. May reflected back to the moment she dropped the ring. He was right.

"Hmm, you're right...well, let me put your conscious to rest...", May said. She then wrapped her arms around Drew's neck, while Drew wrapped his around May's waist. The two stared at each other intently. May smiled. "...Yes...yes, I would _love _to marry you". Drew smiled immensely as May leaned closer to him. Slowly, the two young adults shared their first kiss, as fiances.

They pulled apart a minute or so later, and just stood there, holding onto each other. However, the moment was short lived, as May released Drew and took a few steps back.

"Well then, I think we should both quickly finish our little jobs here before we begin calling people and break the news to them. I'll go ahead and finish painting the other room, since we only have the one wall left to do", May said with a smile. Drew looked at her with a smirk.

"Oh? And what am I supposed to do?", Drew asked. May giggled and pointed to the sink.

"I do believe you have a mess you need to clean up", May said. Drew turned and looked to the pipes and tools. He sighed heavily.

"Oh yeah...I have that to do don't I?", Drew said. May nodded.

"Uh huh", May said. She smiled and turned around, leaving the room. Drew couldn't help but smile as he bent down and began to pick up his mess. He didn't care that he still had to finish with the pipes, he was engaged now, with the love of his life. He couldn't be happier. He looked at the pipes for a moment, and then back to the underside of the sink. And as happy as he was about the reply to the proposal, one annoying thought did manage to cross his mind...how did these pipes go on again?

**And that's the end of that! I thought that this was a bit of a cute chapter for "The Alphabet Game EVAN AAML Style"! It didn't have a lot of REAL romantic moments in it, but I think it was really realistic! BTW, did you see what i did there with the "Aipom wrench"? ;) Oh, and credit to KrazyKat101 for figuring out the chapter's plot! :D Not much more to discuss here exactly, so allow me to find the subject theme for the next chapter! And the word for the "Q" centered chapter will be...(grabs dictionary and picks word at random)..."Quixotic". Oh, wow! As you would imagine, there aren't a lot of choices for "Q", so to get something that means "romantically idealistic" really is pretty good! Not sure exactly how I'll go about writing this chapter, but rest assured I will! Well I hope you all enjoyed this chapter at least! Please be sure to F.A.R. as usual, and I will see you next time!**

**sincerely,  
evan, a fan of aaml -EVAN AAML **


	18. Quixotic

**Sheez, it's been awhile since I updated this hasn't it? I've been so busy that I just didn't have the time! Oh well, I'm here now aren't I? I decided at the last second to make this a Mother's Day story as well, since I have yet to have a Mother's Day related story up. It'll be more difficult to improvise the chapter, but I like a challenge anyway. ;) **

**-EVAN AAML**

"The recipe says we need two cups of flower to make this much", Misty said, looking at the cook book.

"Only two? I could of swore mom used like, double that last time", Ash said. Misty shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"Do you know what happens when you use too much flower in cookies?", Misty asked Ash. Ash looked at her for a few seconds, uncertain.

"...you get really white looking cookies?", Ash thought. Misty was tempted to smack him in the back of the head. The only reason why she didn't was because he was holding the flower, and she didn't want to spill it everywhere.

Ash and Misty had woken up early this morning to do a lot of baking for Mrs. Ketchum. Ash didn't have time to get any money out from his battling savings to get a proper gift for his mom, so he decided that this would do until he could. Misty, not having a mother for herself, was usually invited over for Mother's Day since she had always treated Delia as her second mother. That, and seeing Ash was always a bonus. She barely ever got the chance to since he was always traveling, and anytime she got to spend with him was time well spent...even if he _was _being a fool, he was _her _fool.

"Ok, so after the two cups, we need to get the eggs ready, and", Misty was interrupted.

"I LOVE touching flower!", Ash commented. Misty turned to him, unable to even comprehend the immaturity he was having at the moment. While she loved how he was like this, it seemed out of place in the Kitchen, too many things can go wrong.

"...What?", Misty asked. Ash turned to look at her, a big smile on his face. He had leveled off the flower in the measuring cup, but screwed it up because he was feeling it with his fingers and squishing it.

"Flower! It's the weirdest thing, it's so soft and yet it's really not solid. It's like...well feel it!", Ash said, holding the measuring cup out to her. Misty sighed heavily. She felt the flower, if only to make Ash happy, and then pulled it away.

"Yes Ash, it's soft, now you'll have to measure that out all over again because you'll ruin the amount", Misty explained. Ash scoffed.

"How can I? It's still in the one cup size", Ash said.

"Because squishing it into the cup makes it compact and you have to add more to it, so it's really more than a cup. Brock told me that", Misty said. Ash rolled his eyes this time.

"_Eh, Brock told me that, so I know so much more than you_", Ash said, imitating what he felt Misty was saying.

"You're _real _mature aren't you?", Misty said. Ash smirked.

"I'm mature when I want to be...if I recall, I was _really _mature last night", Ash said. Misty immediately blushed immensely. Ash had surprised Misty with a fancy date to a restaurant in Veridian City. He even dressed up for the occasion, something that never happened. He said it was to catch up on things with her, and while they did talk a lot about what's been going on between them, they spent most of the time doing what they always did, making jokes and enjoying each other's company. Misty had loved the entire night.

"Ok, you got me there Ash. Yes, last night you were _very _mature. It was pretty quixotic all night", Misty stated. Ash raised an eyebrow.

"What? I swear to god you make words up just to sound smarter", Ash said. Misty giggled slightly.

"Quixotic, it means romantically idealistic", Misty said, deciding that Ash wasn't going to do the eggs anytime soon since he was still playing with the flower. She took four from the carton, making sure to crack them in their own bowl so as to pull out egg shells that might fall in.

"Oh, well that's good", Ash said. He turned to the flower, thinking for a moment, until he turned back to Misty. "Is this quixotic then? What we're doing for mom?", Ash asked. Misty had to actually think about this one for a bit, until she shrugged.

"I guess it can be. Although it's a little bit different in this case", Misty said.

"How so?", Ash asked.

"Well...you love your mom, but not in a quixotic kind of way. You love your mom like you _should _love a blood relative", Misty said.

"Oh...so then I love you differently, is that it?", Ash asked. Misty dropped an egg, allowing it to smash on the counter.

"Shit!", Misty said, quickly going to the counter and grabbing paper towels. Ash gasped and pointed to her.

"Oooohhhhh! You swore, dollar in the jar!", Ash said. Mrs. Ketchum decided to start a money jar for whenever Ash or his friends were around. Every time one of them swore, hit the other one, broke something, or in general caused trouble, they had to put a dollar in the jar. Mrs. Ketchum said she would use the money for something important, though what it was no one knew. Ash had quite a bit of money in the jar, mostly because Misty tricked him into swearing right when Mrs. Ketchum was around. Misty however did have her fair share of money in it. Brock and Tracy didn't have anything in it to speak of since they never swore or caused fights, but being the goody two shoes they were, would throw in change once in awhile. Gary usually threw in higher bill counts as soon as he came over, to save himself the trouble of going to the jar throughout the day.

"Mrs. Ketchum isn't around, so it doesn't count", Misty said as she began to carefully wipe the egg yolk and white away. She picked up the shells and was about to throw them into the sink when Ash stopped her.

"Oh, forgot to tell you, garbage disposal is broken, need to throw them away", Ash said. Misty sighed and threw the egg shells and paper towels into the garbage to her side. Shells shouldn't be put into the disposal anyway, but she did it too much out of habit to stop herself.

"Alright, did you _finally _get the two cups into the bowl?", Misty asked.

"Yes! Sheez, you act like I don't do anything right", Ash said. Misty scoffed.

"Because you usually don't", Misty said. Ash decided that retaliation was in order. He grabbed a small amount of flower and enclosed it into his fist. Then, he raised his fist to his mouth, making sure to have a hole appear from his left to his right side of his fist. He aimed it at Misty, and blew hard. The flower shot out like a canon, and sprayed all over Misty's face, hair, and shoulders. She stepped back in shock.

"Ash!", Misty yelled, though trying to keep her voice down. The entire point of doing this was to do it before Mrs. Ketchum woke up, so they didn't want to wake her. Ash couldn't help but laugh.

"That was awesome!", Ash said while laughing. Misty wiped away as much of the flower as she could, which was harder than she anticipated. Ash however stopped her, catching her wrist. "No, wait!". Misty looked at him.

"Why should I?", Misty asked. Ash slowly smiled. However, it wasn't in the immature way she was used to this morning, it was in a more, happy way. Much like last night. It made her feel warm, good thing the flower would hide her blush on her cheeks.

"...you look cute like that", Ash said. Misty swore that her face would literally burn away any flower on her at this point she was so red. Ash slowly moved his hand holding her wrist, sliding it down to her hand and gently rubbing it. Misty was losing it, slowly but surely.

"A-ash, wha...what are y-you", Misty was once again interrupted.

"Shh", Ash said, still looking at her hand. Ash reached over and dipped his finger into another container, this one filled with confectionery sugar. They intended to lightly dust some of the cookies in them when they were done. Ash pulled his finger out of the powdered sugar and slowly put it in Misty's mouth. Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head. Ash _never _acted like this, she didn't even think he _could._ Romance and seduction weren't in his vocabulary. She swirled her tongue around Ash's finger quickly, only to get the sugar. The sweetness making her smile. Ash pulled his finger out and smiled ever so slightly.

"So Misty...is this, right now, quixotic?", Ash asked quietly. Misty stuttered.

"I-it would be...if you kissed me", Misty said just above a whisper, slowly moving her head closer. Ash smiled and slowly moved his head closer as well. Within seconds the two were sharing their first kiss. Misty sighed dreamily as Ash wrapped his arms around her waist. Misty wrapped her arms around Ash's neck and allowed him to pull her in closer.

A cough interrupted them.

Shocked and embarrassed, they two quickly pulled away from each other and looked to the source of the cough. Standing at the doorway of the Kitchen, wearing a bathrobe with pajamas underneath it and slippers was Mrs. Ketchum, who had the widest smile across her face. Resting on her shoulder was Pikachu, who also smiled. The little rodent didn't like waking up too early, and so slept with Mrs. Ketchum when the pair woke up. Ash and Misty stared at her for awhile, uncertain of how to even respond. The two didn't even realize that they were still wrapped around each other. After what felt like ages, Ash reached over and picked up a tray of cookies that they had finished earlier. The cookies were of all different types, but most were burnt, some not cooked enough, and the rest looked like they screwed up the ingredients.

In hindsight, they probably shouldn't of cooked five different types of cookies at once.

"Happy Mother's Day?", Ash said, trying to play it off. Mrs. Ketchum burst into laughter, unable to contain herself. Ash and Misty pulled away from each other, uncertain of how to respond. Mrs. Ketchum tried to stop herself from laughing, but found it difficult. Ash knew that her mom liked to laugh, and didn't get many chances to since her son was always gone. Ash was at least happy that she was enjoying herself, even if it was on their expense.

"I see you two have been...busy", Delia said through fits of laughter. Misty, still blushing madly, nodded.

"Y-yeah, we tried to do your cooking ahead of time...guess we should of had Brock come over huh?", Misty said embarrassed. Mrs. Ketchum shook her head.

"Oh no dearie, I wouldn't of had it any other way, especially given the end result", Delia said. Ash and Misty seemed confused.

"What do you mean? We ruined most of the cookies", Ash said. Mrs. Ketchum could only shake her head with more laughter.

"I wasn't talking about the cookies dear", Delia said. Ash and Misty, still confused, looked at each other, realized just then what she had meant, and then both turned bright red. Mrs. Ketchum laughed some more and left the room, leaving the two young adults to do...whatever it was they were doing. They had made a mess, screwed up almost all the cookies, ended up having a romantic embrace...and Misty was still covered in flower.

Happy Mother's Day indeed.

**Alright, finished this story in less than an hour! Woohoo! :D I do like making these shorter one shots, even if they do take me FOREVER to finally work on. And I hope you all enjoyed it as well! I'm sure all of you have a funny Mother's Day story to tell, we all do. I made this in honor of that, of those kids who try so hard to make a good Mother's Day...and whether they think they do or not, making her day anyway. :) Anyway, the next chapter of "The Alphabet Game" shall be..."Remake". Alright, a lot easier than this chapter. I already have a good idea in mind! Well, I hope you all have a great Mother's Day, please be sure to F.A.R., and to check EVAN AAML's Twitter account for updates! **

**sincerely,  
evan, a fan of aaml -EVAN AAML**


	19. Remake

**I don't like breaking tradition, and it appears that it's tradition for me to complain about how long it's been since I've updated. So...MY GOD IT'S BEEN AWHILE! It's almost like I've forgotten that I even made this story to begin with! There's been a lot going on as of late, specifically with updating "R", which is coming along nicely. But, I do realize that I need to work on my other stories as well, so here's this one! So, let's not delay this any longer, here's "Remake"**

**-EVAN AAML**

The movie played on the t.v. screen, the noises and colors drawing in the attention of the group watching it. Sitting on the couch were the young Pokémon trainers Ash, Misty, May, and Drew. They were engrossed in the film...but not enough where they couldn't talk.

"So then, why did you pick this one?", Drew asked May, seemingly bored with the choice. He sat on the far left side of the couch, one arm holding up his head on the arm rest, the other wrapped around May, who was leaning into him on his right.

"Because, it's a cute romance movie", May answered, as if he didn't already know that. Every week, the two couples would get together for a double movie date at one of their apartments, (this time, it was Ash and Misty's). And every week, one of the four people would be the one to pick the movie. This week it was May's turn, but this seemed to make things a little bit one-sided. Ash would tend to choose a comedy, (usually a stupid one that only he would laugh at), while Drew would pick an action or horror pic with lots of violence. Misty and May however, being the romantics they were, always picked a romantic movie. Whether it was a romantic comedy, tragedy, adventure, or horror didn't matter to the boys, because there was still romance in it.

"Ok, but why this one in particular?", Drew asked. His way of getting through movies he didn't like was to converse with the others. This normally got on the girl's nerves, (and occasionally Ash's if it was his movie choice), but it was still early in the movie yet, so they would let it slide for now.

"Because, it just came out and I wanted to see it, now shush", May said. This of course wasn't good enough for Drew.

"Alright, but I mean, out of _all _of the movies that just came out, why did _this _one draw your attention?", Drew asked. May sighed.

"Because Drew, I decided it would be good", May stated, not wanting to get into it any further.

"Well, you may have decided this, but I don't think it's going to be that good", Drew said. May, and this time Misty, both sighed, something that did not go unnoticed by the young coordinator. "Well think about it! It's been about ten or fifteen minutes into the movie now, and so far the only interesting thing that's happened is that we found out that the main girl and her friends are hot. That's it! There's no characterization, the plot's weak, and I could care less about any of the supporting cast!", Drew explained. He was not a movie critic by any means, (though sometimes May thought he wanted to be), but he had a thing about watching bad movies.

"Oh my god, Drew, we just wanted to see a cute romance movie. We're not interested in the story, now please, shush!", Misty said. Drew's mouth hung wide open.

"Wait, so you're telling me that the only reason why you girls watch movies is to see some cute scenes!? You don't care about the actual story!?", Drew asked, shocked that they would do such a thing. Ash, who had been listening to their conversation, grabbed a handful of popcorn from the bowl that rested on the small table in front of the couch. The butter and salt stuck to his hands as he brought it to his mouth.

"This is better than the movie...go on", Ash said, listening and watching his friends and girlfriend with more intent now. Misty turned to him, scoffed, and then playfully shoved his hand into his mouth, dropping popcorn all over him and making a mess.

"I'm just saying, people shouldn't watch a movie just because it's cute. I bet the original was _a lot _better than this piece of garbage!", Drew said. Misty this time leaned over to grab a kernel of popcorn or two and threw it at Drew while May sighed again in annoyance to his stubborn attitude.

"Yes, the original _was _good! That's why we wanted to see this, to see if it was just as romantic!", May said. Ash raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Wait...this is a remake?", Ash asked. Misty, May, and even Drew turned to him, stunned.

"Yeah...wait, you didn't know?", May said. Drew scoffed.

"Figures", Drew stated.

"Ash, the original was considered one of the greatest movies ever made in the day...you really never heard of it?", Misty asked. She knew that Ash was sheltered when it came to things like movies, but surely he would have known this.

"No, I don't think so. I mean, the only movies I watch are comedies, Pokémon battling movies, and _occasionally _an action/adventure...oh! And Pokespy, that was good!", Ash stated. Misty sighed.

"Ash, that's because _we _were in it!", Misty said with a sweatdrop. Ash smirked.

"Exactly", Ash replied.

"Ash, you know you're an idiot, right?", Drew stated. Ash stuck his tongue out at Drew in response. "How did you not know this was a remake? That's all they ever do now anyway! You might as well assume that all new movies that come out are remakes!", Drew said.

"Or sequels", Ash threw in.

"Or Prequels", Drew continued.

"Or in Three D!", Ash chimed.

"Or from books!", Drew finished. The girls both sighed.

"Really guys? You need to get into this argument _now_!?", May asked.

"Well it's true isn't it? There's hardly ever an original story out there! Maybe once in a couple of months! No, everything has to be remade, or continued on until no one even wants to see it again. All they care about is money, no one out there wants to make a movie just to make a good decent film!", Drew carried on.

"You have to admit, he's got a point", Ash stated. Misty looked at Ash.

"Ash, he just called you an idiot, and now you're going to side with him?", Misty asked. Ash shrugged.

"I'm used to him calling me an idiot, and he made a good point", Ash stated. Misty couldn't deny him that one. Ash took being picked on rather well, she wasn't sure if his self-confidence was just so high where he was never hurt, or if his higher success than most everyone else just made him know that it didn't matter what people said about him.

"Listen, yes, they make a lot of them out there, but who cares? They are still good, they're still cute!", May said.

"Exactly", Misty said. "So long as they make movies that I want to watch, I won't complain".

"But that's just it! You people DON'T want to watch them! You're just so brainwashed that you don't have a choice but to watch every single piece of garbage that the t.v. advertises to you! If the t.v. told you that some terrible porno was going to be good, would you watch it!?", Drew asked. There was a seemingly long moment of silence, until Ash slowly began to raise his hand with a sly smile. Misty immediately smacked him in the chest hard.

"Ash, you don't count! You wouldn't know a good movie if it smacked you in the face", Drew stated. Ash seemed to take some offense to this comment.

"Hey! That's not true!...I liked Pokespy!", Ash said, once again smiling. Drew face palmed.

"That's because you were _in_ _it_!", Drew exclaimed through gritted teeth.

"Look, does it really matter? We have something to watch, that's all that's important!", May said, wanting to end the argument that was now getting out of hand. However, little did she know just how out of hand it was.

"Yes, it DOES matter! Because these terrible movies are making new rules! Now everything HAS to be done with computers, nothing's old school anymore, which takes away a lot of nostalgia from people. And of course with terrible writing comes terrible acting, which means that GOOD actors lose their jobs and stupid kids take over in these reality based movies or shows. They spend more money in advertising than actually making the movie good!", Drew ranted.

"Yeah, I have noticed that actually", Ash stated. "And think about it, a lot of the movies that come out are all the same. They're all either cartoon movies that only kids will want to see and no one else, violent movies with nothing but blood, gore, and sex with no creativity or thought, and then your confusing movies with too much thought that only leave people scratching their heads rather than appreciating it...and _all _of them are in Three D", Ash explained.

"Three D movies are too expensive and always leave me with a headache", Drew threw in.

"At least they're _making _movies guys. Would you rather have nothing to watch than the same old movies again and again?", Misty asked.

"Precisely, some people just want to watch something for entertainment! Some people just want to see pure action, or pure gore, or pure romance. They don't care what the story is, so long as they're happy! And there's nothing wrong with that!", May said, glaring at both boys.

"Look, all I'm saying is, it would be nice to have a change of pace for once. It's so rare to have a really good movie come out, even rarer for that movie to get noticed and appreciated!", Drew said.

"What is it with guys and having to have good movies?", Misty asked.

"Well, think about it Drew, there is _one _good thing about bad movies", Ash said. All three of the young adults turned to look at Ash.

"And what's that?", Drew asked on wit's end. Ash smirked.

"At least we don't care about it, and would rather make out with our girlfriends in the theater than watch it", Ash said. Both Misty and May blushed immensely from the comment. Misty punched Ash for being so blunt. Drew started to laugh out loud.

"Ok Ash, I'll give you that one, you got me there!", Drew said. The two boys reached over for a high-five, which resulted in them both being hit by their respected girlfriends. "And I guess it also gives us the chance to save our money for something better since we wouldn't want to watch it". Ash chuckled at this comment.

"Good point!...Oh, who are we kidding? We have girlfriends remember? We're dirt poor anyway!", Ash joked. Once again, this resulted in high-fives and beatings.

"You two are impossible! I swear, next time we're going to watch a movie with Brock instead of you two, at least _he _appreciates a good romantic movie!", May said.

"That is cruel and unusual punishment for him and you know it!", Ash said.

"No it isn't! He loves romantic movies, he watches them all the time with his dates! So you two can go off and do whatever you want, we don't care!", Misty said with a smirk, crossing her arms. Ash and Drew looked at each other for a moment.

"...I think this is a trap", Ash said. Drew nodded.

"We lose no matter what anyway, might as well lose and enjoy our time away from these terrible movies!", Drew said. May growled in annoyance.

"FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! CAN WE NOT JUST WATCH THE MOVIE IN SILENCE!?", May asked. Drew, Ash, and Misty all looked at the t.v. screen. There was a moment's silence before Drew broke it.

"...No, we can't...the movie's over now", Drew said. May looked to the t.v. in shock. As Drew said, the movie was in fact over, the credits were rolling down the screen with a background of the main characters kissing. May's mouth hung open in shock and disappointment. Misty sighed and leaned forward, burying her head in her arms. Ash merely shrugged his shoulders and grabbed more popcorn.

"So then...can we put on something else?", Drew asked. May grabbed a pillow and walloped him in the face, causing him to fly over the back of the couch and onto the wooden floor with a thud.

"...How about Pokespy?", Ash asked. He soon found himself in the same position as Drew, however Misty replaced the pillow with a much harder and messier bowl of popcorn. Both boys, covered in popcorn, sprawled out on the floor while the girls both sighed heavily.

Why did every date night end like this?

**THERE! OVER! FINISHED! I finally finished with the update on "The Alphabet Game"! It took me MONTHS, but I got it done! I'm sorry for the delay, I know I was meant to update this forever ago, but I just lost inspiration for it. Especially with "R" flowing so nicely as of late. But, seeing that I hadn't updated it in forever, I thought I might as well suck it up and think of something. I implied a few different opinions on movies in this chapter, what do you all think of them? I do this movie themed chapter in memory of Michael Clarke Duncan, an actor who died yesterday (3rd of September) at a much too young of an age. He was a great actor, R.I.P. Now then, as for my next chapter!...(grabs dictionary and picks word at random)..."Snow"! Alright, an easy word, good for a cute little romantic movie. Pft, knowing me, by the time I get to updating this there WILL be snow on the ground! Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this, please be sure to F.A.R. and check out my EVAN AAML Twitter account! See you all later!**

**sincerely,  
evan, a fan of aaml -EVAN AAML**


	20. Snow

**It may seem shocking that I am updating this story so soon, especially given my more than average tardiness when it comes to updating this one. However, with sentimental emotions building up inside of me due to the 9/11 remembrance, (never forget), I felt that I needed to get something written. I am trying something different this time, writing this story in honor of my favorite Poet, Robert Frost. Don't expect a lot (or any for some perspectives) romance in this one, but rest assured more romance will come from me. Until then, I hope you like this short story!**

**-EVAN AAML**

She looked up to the sky, her face being dampened by the ever falling flakes of frozen water that covered the landscape. The sky was a bright white, which caused her to strain her eyes ever so gently as she tried to catch glimpse of the snow falling from the heavens onto the planet below. To her, it was worth it.

The ground was covered in a thick white, the pine trees decorated festively by nature's own white blanket. She lifted her ear muffs and listened as the light sound of snowflakes landing on the ground echoed in her ear. Like a soft patting on the Earth. The area otherwise was quite, peaceful, tranquil.

This was what she wanted.

She turned her head to the left, seeing the babbling brook that had decided to fight its natural urge to remain frozen in time for the season. She thought it amazing in a way, for something to have such an urge to fight on and go against the easy path; it reminded her of her friend, still motionless this early in the day. She then turned to her right, and looked over the hills of white. She thought of what it might look like in another season, the white turning to green, with explosions of yellows, reds, and pinks dotting the landscape in bloom. But for now, it remained white, sleeping until Spring.

To many, this would be nothing more than a quiet Winter morning, an uncommon but otherwise meaningless thing to appreciate. But to her, this was something more, this was beauty and tranquility in its purest form. She looked around, seeing the blank canvas that was the snow-covered ground. Save for one lone trail of footprints, possibly those of a Buneary, which left imprints every few feet in the snow going to the woods. Possibly a mother in a hurry, wishing to get to her children before the sun arrived. Though soon, even this trail would be covered, erasing the lone imperfection in the beautiful scenery. It made her feel as if, despite the impact people had on the planet, nature eventually fixed all wounds.

The young beauty continued to stare, not making a noise. She wanted to appreciate the surroundings and take in the temporary beauty before her time was up. She knew that soon, her friends would awaken, and they would continue on their busy way. But for now, she wanted to wait. She wished that time would stand still just for her, so that she could marvel at the world around her for a little while longer.

She didn't know what it was about the Winter season that made her feel this way. In her fast-paced life she was surprised herself that she even had the time to appreciate something like this. While most women her age would merely complain over the cold, she ignored it, even as her bare legs from her short skirt began to turn blue, like the water in the babbling brook, and like her darkened hair that was hidden under her pink hat.

She looked up once again to the bright sky, seeing the snowflakes fall down to the Earth. For a while, she remained motionless, allowing the few flakes that risked it to land on her face and body, some sticking to her hair and eyelashes. The cooling sensation she felt as the flakes landed and then quickly melted made her feel giddy for reasons even she did not quite understand.

With a smile, she closed her eyes and opened her mouth, sticking her tongue out as far as she could muster. After a minute or two, she collected a small pile of snow on her tongue, and then drew it back into her mouth. She giggled to herself, feeling a cold sensation go through her body, particularly her throat and brain. As childish as it was, she could not help herself.

Yes, this was the perfect time of season. Where time seemed to not matter, and the world around her turned to a beautiful white. While most had the unfortunate view of this as cold and plain, she saw it as a landscape untouched, preserved in a natural beauty that best presented the glow of the world around her.

The sounds of bodies stirring from the small temporary campsite hundreds of feet away snapped her out of her trance. She turned back, knowing that her friends were beginning to awaken. Yes, her time was up. She sighed, but then turned back to the scenery before her and smiled.

Yes, her time was up, but she knew that she would have another morning like today, where she could once again appreciate the Winter landscape around her. She turned around and went to her friends, leaving behind her nature's true beauty; untouched and appreciated.

**For those of you wondering, yes, I used Dawn as the young girl in this chapter. I felt that she somehow best fit the type of imagery I wanted to write in this type of chapter. While I did nothing compared to the poetry of Frost, I did use some inspirations from some of his more famous nature poems. I understand that this was short, but believe me when I say that this was harder to write than I anticipated. It took me quite some time to pick the right words to describe the world around her. So, did I do it justice? Please let me know in a review! And as for the next chapter, the word of choice shall be..."Trust"! An easy word! I hope you all enjoy the story, please be sure to F.A.R. and to check out my Twitter account! Now if you'll excuse me, today (12th of September) is my 21st birthday, so I'll be off enjoying myself with some friends and family! Take care!**

**sincerely,  
evan, a fan of aaml -EVAN AAML**


	21. Trust

**Welcome back everyone! I trust that you all are doing well during this wonderful fall season, (for those of my readers who are currently HAVING a fall season. I understand I have readers all around the world). Regardless, I HOPE YOU ENJOY THE SEASON YOU'RE HAVING! :) Now, for this chapter, I decided to instead of writing about AAML or DAML, which I usually do, I would cover _another _group of people. Not necessarily in a pairing of romance, but of friendship. And I think you'll recognize the three rather quickly. ;) So then, without further adu, I bring to you, (HA! RHYME!), "Trust".**

**-EVAN AAML**

"I'm starving!", a voice stated in a whiny tone.

"We _all _are, shut it!", another voice said, this one stern and annoyed.

"Yeah, whinin' will only make it worse", a third voice said in a city accent. Once again, the trio Jessie, James, and Meowth were hungry, and as always, they were broke. Not that money made a difference anyway at the moment, for they were also lost.

The trio had just recently crash landed after once again being defeated by Ash, Misty, and Brock while trying to steal Pikachu. Just a typical day for the gang of thieves. They found themselves located somewheres in the woods. Not the deep woods thankfully, but lost regardless. As they sat in a circle, their bodies covered in bruises and cuts from the explosion and landing, their stomachs grumbled like that of a Snorlax on a diet.

"Jessie, if we don't get something to eat soon, I'm going to starve to death!", James whined. Jessie snorted.

"Pft, at least you'd be quiet", Jessie commented.

"Well, we's not gonna get anything to eat by jus' sitting here", Meowth commented. Jessie and James nodded in agreement.

"Agreed. Let's go...stupid twerps, could have at least had us crash in a restaurant", Jessie said annoyed as she stood up. Meowth stood up as well. James however, as he was motioning to stand, immediately thought of something. He gasped at the thought.

"Oh! Wait!", James said. Jessie and Meowth stopped and looked down at James as he began to rummage through his small bag. After a few seconds of searching, he finally came upon something and became excited. "Oh! I hope they didn't get crushed in the landing!". James then whipped out a small napkin, folded in such a way to cover whatever was wrapped inside of it. Jessie and Meowth immediately began salivating and sat down on the ground, holding their hands out like begging kids. James placed the napkin on the ground and unfolded it. Inside were four riceballs. James laughed excitedly.

"Food!", Jessie and Meowth yelled in anticipation and joy. James chuckled as well.

"It's a good thing I saved these from our last lunch huh?", James said, genuinely proud of himself over the small accomplishment. Jessie and Meowth merely nodded, their attention solely on the food before them. James handed one to Jessie, then one to Meowth, and then one for himself. The three sat Indian style on the ground and smiled.

"TIME TO EAT!", Team Rocket said in unison. The three then began to chow down on their little riceballs.

"You know, it's hard for us to get a decent meal these days", Jessie said, her mouth full so her words being slurred.

"I know, our paychecks don't cover enough for typical expenses", James agreed, his mouth also full.

"Who are we kiddin'? What little we does get paid for we waste on traps for da twerps", Meowth explained. Jessie and James sighed.

"Yeah, I guess you're right", Jessie said.

"With our experience, you'd think we would know that it doesn't work as well as we hope it does", James decided. Jessie sighed.

"Do you remember when all it took was a simple hole in the ground and a fishing net to catch Pikachu?", Jessie asked, looking up at the sky for a break from her snack to remember. Meowth sighed.

"Yeah, those were da days", Meowth said. James looked down at his riceball and became lost in thought.

"What's happened to us guys? We used to actually be feared. We used to have wanted posters up all around for our capture. People would run in terror when they saw us", James remembered.

"Yeah, and the boss actually liked us", Jessie threw in. Meowth almost began to cry.

"Yeah, and we got da respect we desoived", Meowth finished. The three remembered "the gold ole' days" quietly as they ate.

"You know...", James said. Jessie and Meowth looked up to him. "I guess...it wasn't all bad, right?", James asked. Jessie and Meowth looked at each other in confusion.

"What do you mean?", Meowth asked.

"We've been blown up, electrocuted, burnt, thrown off high places, attacked by all sorts of Pokémon, and blasted off countless times", Jessie said, honestly questioning James' intelligence if he never thought that those were problems.

"No, I know that, and yeah, we've been through some bad times before...but it wasn't _all _bad", James said. Jessie and Meowth were quiet for a moment or two, trying to think about it. "For example...we sure have a lot of stories to talk about don't we?". Jessie couldn't help but smirk at that.

"Yeah, you got a point. We've dealt with pretty much the same "save the world" problems that those twerps had to deal with too. We've helped them a few of those times", Jessie said. Meowth nodded.

"Yeah, and I guess we's been through a lot together haven't we?", Meowth noted. James nodded.

"And the places we've been to?", James asked.

"We've been all around the world and back, places we'd never have visited if we weren't chasing the twerps", Jessie exclaimed.

"And the stuff we've seen?", James added.

"I _still _have a tough time believing some of da stuff we've seen over da years", Meowth remarked.

"Exactly", James said. Jessie looked back up to the sky.

"Hmm...yeah, I guess you can say that we've had some pretty good times over the years", Jessie reflected.

"We definitely can't complain over too much, that's for sure", Meowth said. Jessie then giggled slightly.

"I guess then we should be thanking the twerps next time we see them huh?", Jessie asked. James and Meowth both laughed at that remark.

"Maybe one of these days we actually can", James said.

"But you know...", Meowth started. Jessie and James looked at their little cat friend. "I think, da best part about what we've done over the years, da things we've seen, da places we've been, da number of times we've saved da world...I think da best part about it...is that we was always together through it all", Meowth said. Jessie and James smiled at the thought.

"Yeah, you're right...and I trust that we will go through even more together in the future", Jessie said with a smile.

"No matter what happened to us, for better or for worse, we always went through it together", James stated. He then went to take a bite out of his riceball, only to end up with an empty mouth. He looked down to see that he had finished his snack without realizing it. He chuckled at himself. "Hehe, guess I was hungrier than I realized. Jessie and Meowth laughed a little bit as well, then looked down at their snacks to see that they had finished theirs off as well.

"I guess we all were", Jessie said.

"Well, how manys are left?", Meowth asked. The trio looked down to the napkin and, to their disappointment, saw that there was only one riceball left. The three of them sighed heavily at the sight.

"Alright, let's get this over with", Jessie said. James and Meowth sighed. The trio then became serious and held their fists out. In unison, they began to shake them.

"ROCK, PAPER SCISSORS!", the trio yelled. All three of them got scissors. "ROCK PAPER SCISSORS!", they yelled again. This time, they all got paper. "ROCK PAPER SCISSORS!". All three got rock. The three of them tried again and again, and each and every time they would get the same result. After a minute or two, they all sighed. There was a moment of silence between the three before eventually, James smirked.

"You know, I don't know why we always fight over the last one", James said. Jessie and Meowth looked at James, then at each other, and smiled.

"Yeah, after everything we've been through, we should know how to end this", Jessie said. Meowth nodded.

"Right, so let's do it", Meowth said, raising his paw with a gleam. James grabbed the riceball and gently tossed it in the air. Meowth immediately pulled out one of his claws and swiped at the riceball a few times while it was in the air. It immediately cut into three separate parts, Jessie catching two of them and James catching the final one. Meowth smirked. "I's still got it", Meowth said, licking his claw to get the jelly off. Jessie smirked and handed him one of the two pieces she caught.

"I guess you still do", Jessie said. The three then looked at their smaller portions of their snack.

"To each other?", James asked, holding his piece out. Jessie and Meowth smiled.

"To each other", Jessie and Meowth replied in unison. The three then began to feast on their little snack, not having a care in the world.

**Nice! A cute little friendship style chapter for Team Rocket. This is the first time I've ever dedicated an entire story, (in a manner of speaking), to Team Rocket, so it's a stepping stone for me I think. :) I hoped you all enjoyed this little chapter! I think I will try to focus on "Christmas The Sequel" after this update, so keep an eye out for that, (I should say though, don't get your hopes up for it. -_-). Now then, let's see what the next chapter shall be about...(takes dictionary and picks word at random)..."Umbrella". Alright, a little bit harder, but I think I can do it. Sort of have an idea about it right now anyway. Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please be sure to F.A.R. and to check out my Twitter account! Until next time my friends!**

**sincerely,  
evan, a fan of aaml -EVAN AAML**


	22. Umbrella

**(Slowly peeks out from behind hiding spot). Is it safe to come out? I understand that it's been...wow, nearly 3 whole months! I know that's inexcusable, and I apologize. The original intent was to put the focus from this story onto "Christmas The Sequel"...and as you can see, that didn't happen. I don't know if I will be able to ever finish the story, as writing it has become harder than I originally intended when I started it. I should have waited until after I finished this story or "R", but what's done is done. Anywho, since it's been so long, let's get straight to the story now huh? For those who have forgotten, this chapter will follow the word "Umbrella". **

**-EVAN AAML**

Rain. Heavy rain at that. Cold, unrelenting, and at times even painful. It had been pouring for a few hours, and didn't look like it would let up anytime soon. A flood warning in this area of Kanto had caused traveling to grind to a halt and for the majority of trainers to have to stay the night at the local Pokémon Center. It was night-time, though many people were still awake, it being only nine or so. From the outside looking in, the Pokémon Center looked inviting, warm, cozy. However, not all was as it appeared.

With a loud bang, the doors to the Center were pushed open from the inside. The doors nearly ripped off their hinges as they banged into the sides of the building. The light fixated above the doors shook slightly as a lone figure ran outside at full speed. The rain did it's best to slow the figure down, immediately drenching it with water. However, not even the might of nature could stop this person.

Distraught, scared, sad? It was uncertain. Though the figure continued to run down the sidewalk that led to the Center, not stopping until it seemingly found a fitting spot, halfway to the main road and the Center. It looked back to the Center, and then around it, as if lost and confused. There, the figure dropped to its knees; bending over and sobbing.

To say it was silent would be a lie. The rain continued to pour, showing no sympathy for the crying figure. The whimpers alone would be heard from a distance if it weren't for the weather. However, it _felt _quiet. As if time slowed down, and there was nothing but the lone figure...a girl.

She felt the cold water pound her back, as if nature itself was punishing her. Her clothes had immediately begun to soak-in the water and were now clinging to her body. Due to the Summer weather, she had thin layers already, and so did not take much. However, now, it seemed like a terrible choice. She felt cold, her body shook almost violently. The clothes sticking to her only added to the shivers. The warm night air was pushed away by the constant cold rain. However, despite the cold, despite her wet clothes, the rain and terrible conditions...she refused to move.

She couldn't go back now.

It was a few minutes before another figure stepped outside. Unlike the girl, this figure opened the doors, (which had closed by themselves after being forced open moments before), gently. The figure stepped outside, holding a large black umbrella in its hand. The rain at first could not hit the umbrella, the building was still covering the figure. The light hanging above cast a large shadow over the figure, and lit the path leading to the crying female.

For a moment or two the figure just stood there, looking out down the sidewalk, to the figure bending down, her face nearly to the ground and her back taking the blows of the rain. However, it eventually made its way down. The figure's shoes struck the sidewalk with a slow but steady rhythm. The water that had gathered on the concrete splashed as each foot came down. The sound of the heavy rain striking the umbrella caused a loud echo to expand the area. The female could make out the distinguishable noise, but chose to ignore it.

Why was he out here?

The male figure continued to walk towards her, not stopping or even slowing down. There was no wind to speak of, so the male was considerably warmer due to being kept dry. It seemed like mother nature was angered at failing to drench this boy. It seemed to rain more now, the water coming down in droplets so big that they stung upon contact. The female showed no change in position however. She took the punishment, as if she deserved it.

Soon, the boy with the umbrella reached the girl. He gave her a foot or so of space, uncertain of her reaction at first. He looked down at her, his chest tightening and his heart aching. He felt her pain, as if it was being transferred by the water connecting them on the ground. He gripped the umbrella tighter.

"...I think you need this umbrella Misty...", the male figure said. The female named Misty at first did not move. She continued to bend over on the sidewalk, taking in the cold and pain of the rain. However, she soon lifted her head. Her hair, now soaked like her clothes, caused it to cascade water down to her face where it clung. Her eyes were covered due to the darkness. However, when she turned, it was clear as day.

Tears were the true cause for her wet face.

"...Why are you out here Ash?", Misty asked. The male named Ash continued to stand there, holding the umbrella. The rain fell down the top of the umbrella and dripped off at the tips. Ash was just far enough away where the water from this did not hit Misty, not that it would have made a difference.

"...I was going to stop you from coming out...Brock suggested I give you some time alone...but I couldn't leave you out here in this rain, you'll get sick", Ash said, looking up towards the night sky. It was too dark to be able to see much of anything, though the light from the Pokémon Center behind them allowed just enough light to show the rain falling. Misty sniffled and turned away from Ash.

"...Good...I hope I _do _get sick", Misty said. Ash sighed.

"Misty, no. It's not your fault, you need to stop laying the blame on yourself and come inside, please", Ash said. Misty shook her head, the water flying off the end of her reddish-orange hair.

"No Ash! I...I can't", Misty said. She wrapped her arms around herself, as if she was just now feeling the cold from the rain. Ash was not certain what to do, but he knew that she couldn't stay out here any longer. He slowly stepped forward until he was standing above the sad girl. Noticing that the rain was no longer hitting her body, she looked up to see Ash looking down upon her. It looked intimidating from her perspective, but his facial features said otherwise. They were warm, inviting, innocent.

Unlike her.

Her tears continued to flow. The umbrella prevented the rain from mixing in with her tears, allowing Ash to see them much more clearly now. He felt the twinge in his heart once more, only this time it was more painful. He bent down, continuing to hold the umbrella above them.

"Mist...you can't beat yourself up like this...", Ash said. Misty looked up to him.

"And why not?", Misty asked. There was silence between them for a moment before Ash spoke.

"...Because I won't allow it", Ash replied. Misty stared at Ash for the longest time, her eyes transfixed by his. She felt mesmerized by them. Suddenly, she no longer felt the cold, or the wetness of the rain. She felt warm, safe, loved even. She wondered if this was Ash's plan all along. Suddenly, Ash reached over and grabbed onto Misty's arms. Before she even knew it, Ash had pulled her into him and wrapped his arms around her. Her wet body sunk into his dry one and gave her an immediate warm sensation.

"What? No, Ash! You'll get wet!", Misty said, trying at first to pull away from the boy. It didn't work. While she did not pull herself away with all of her strength, it was clear that Ash had no intentions of letting her go anytime soon. Eventually, she just gave in, and sank deeper into him. A part of her was glad that he refused to let her go. She felt like she was in Heaven. He was so warm.

So warm.

Ash eventually positioned the umbrella around so that he could hold it up without using his hands. It was awkward, but it worked. Misty then looked up as Ash placed his hands over her cheeks. She immediately felt the warmth of his hands and blushed at the touch. This only made her face feel even warmer.

"Misty...sometimes things happen. You can't avoid them. No matter if they're good or bad, you just have to roll with it and move on. Life will throw anything and everything at you. But it's not about what happens to you that matters...it's how you respond to them that does. When life gives you something good, you use it to your advantage. And if it gives you something bad...you move on. You can't let it bring you down...", Ash explained. He then looked up at the sky.

"...Like this rain", Ash said. Misty blushed at the comments, though some of this was out of embarrassment. Ash was only ten, he wasn't exactly a poet. However, he _was _sincere, and caring. He looked back down at Misty with a smile. "Besides...you're much too cute to be sad".

This comment sent her over the edge. Not a part of her was cold now, though she found herself shaking just as much. Ash couldn't help but smile at her reaction. He knew he was no romantic, but he was well aware of what he was doing. He looked down at the girl before her, her body soaked and cold. He pulled her in closer and kept her warm with his body, making sure that they were still under the umbrella. She was nervous, but her nerves were nothing compared to the warmth she was feeling in her body. And it wasn't just from the body heat.

Ash leaned down and planted a soft kiss on Misty's forehead, something that caused a blush from both of them. He smiled as she looked up to him.

"Come on, let's get you inside. You need warm clothes and to sit by the fire", Ash said. Misty looked apprehensive at first. She still felt guilty for what had happened. However, Ash could sense this and continued. "...We can also talk, if you need to". Misty eventually nodded.

"...Ok...Thank you", Misty said. She then smiled. "Although...I think I'll need to...snuggle with you by the fire...for extra warmth...if you don't mind". Ash smirked.

"Deal", Ash said. He then stood up, lifting Misty up from the ground by the hand, and carefully led her inside, under the protection of the umbrella. The rain continued to fall from the sky, unrelenting as ever.

Let it fall, it couldn't touch them.

**I'll admit, I am not particularly fond of this chapter. It had been so long since I last updated that I had forgotten the majority of my original idea for this chapter and so had to improvise a lot. I think my original idea was a little bit more sad than happy, but this wasn't far off. Considering I wrote it in an hour and a half, I guess I shouldn't complain. :P And for anyone wondering what it was that Misty did...why should I do all the work? Why not think of something for yourselves? ;) I think leaving it open allows people to imagine what they want. Anyway, let's decide the next chapter!...and the word choice for V is..."Varsity"! A school theme huh? Well, this will be a bit different! I'm excited now, I have something funny planned! Anyway, hope you all enjoy this little (possibly disappointing) update! Please be sure to F.A.R., check out my Twitter account for updates and news, and I'll see you all later! **

**sincerely,  
evan, a fan of aaml -EVAN AAML**


	23. Varsity

**Well, here we are again folks! Another thrilling installment to "The Alphabet Game: EVAN AAML Style"! I just seemed to realize that I'm already on "V"! That means there will only be 4 more chapters of this story left after this one! :O EVAN AAML actually FINISH a story!? IMPOSSIBLE! But yes, sadly, this one will be coming to an end soon. I hope you all enjoyed the series of one-shots! Oh, and before I forget, as a little note. To the reviewer "ashandmistylover", I am in fact receiving/reading every single one of your reviews for "R"! Unfortunately, since you are under guest, I cannot respond to your reviews! But do know that I am not ignoring you. :) So then, let's get to the chapter entitled "Varsity"!**

**-EVAN AAML**

"Ugh, I _hate _practice!", Ash complained, stretching his arms and legs. Brock, who stood next to him, chuckled a bit as he also stretched.

"Then why are you on the team?", Brock asked.

"Because _everyone__'s _on it, all of my friends. I might as well", Ash said. Brock laughed some more. The group of students were outside, stretching their muscles and preparing for their track and field practice. Their school, (which consisted of students mostly from the southern Kanto region), although a Pokémon trainer's school, also had activities for the students as well; some sports included. Track and field was easy enough, and had a variety of things for people to choose from. Ash, however, was not a fan of track. It wasn't that he didn't like physical activity, he was one of the MOST active at the school. But running around in circles or jumping were things he considered fun.

Standing next to Ash on the track turf were Brock, (who enjoyed track and was surprisingly good at it considering his size), Drew, (who, like Ash, was not a huge fan, but didn't complain), and Tracy, (who did it mostly just to stay in shape). There, the four continued to do basic routines for stretching and loosening muscles, such as jumping jacks and jogging in place.

"I just don't see why we need to go out here, when it's already about ninety degrees, and run on turf, which makes it about a hundred degrees, for three hours!", Ash said.

"Because, the school can't afford an indoor stadium, and why have a nice field like this and not use it for practice?", Brock asked in jest, knowing that Ash's whining was futile.

"Hmph, it's just stupid in my opinion", Ash said. Drew sighed.

"Well SORRY Ash that the school didn't take your stupid opinion into account", Drew said. He was not a fan of the heat either, but he felt that whining about it was immature, and he knew the downside to the sport when he signed up for it. Ash did it mindlessly just to be with his friends. Ash stuck his tongue out at him in response.

"Well, at least you're staying in shape for battling, right Ash?", Tracy asked as he stretched his arms. Ash shrugged, that was perhaps the only other good thing about the sport. Suddenly, the sound of a whistle blowing startled the four boys. They stopped stretching and watched as Gary approached them. Unlike them, (who wore basic t-shirts, shorts, and running sneakers), Gary wore a purple polo t-shirt with the school's emblem on it and white shorts with basic sneakers. He held in his hands a clipboard, and around his neck a stopwatch. He also wore sunglasses, which reflected the sun's rays.

"Alright, you guys done stretching?", Gary asked. Ash sighed.

"I still don't understand how YOU were assigned to be junior coach!", Ash said in annoyance. The team, (since it was considerably small for such a large school), only had two coaches, one for boys and one for girls. Since more coaches were needed, every year one boy and one girl who were exceptional in track and field were selected to be a "junior coach". They would still take part in athletics if they so needed to, but mostly would just coach the team when the main coaches were busy. Ash of course wanted to be the junior coach, but lost it since it was his first year doing the sport and he didn't take it seriously. Gary sighed, removing his sunglasses.

"Because I don't whine about everything every five minutes", Gary said annoyed. Brock, Tracy, and even Drew snickered at the comments. Though Ash and Gary's rivalry had pretty much settled since they grew up and were considered friends, they still would bother the other if they could. Ash ignored the laughter as Gary went on. "Alright, so coach said that he'd be running a little late today, so he wanted me to get everyone started. Nothing shocking really. After our warm-up run, Tracy, you head over to discus and shot-put. Brock, you work on sprint, but coach also wants you to try long jump as well for a change". Brock shrugged, not minding the idea. "Drew, you and Ash just run some more". Drew sighed, knowing that he would be doing that anyway. Ash however whined some more.

"Wait, that's it?", Ash asked. Gary looked at Ash confused. Their practice consisted of the same thing nearly everyday, (unless a track and field meet would be the next day, in which case they worked on the events they would be participating in).

"Uh, yeah? You and Drew are mid-distance runners, what did you expect to do?", Gary asked.

"Well, did coach tell you about my request?", Ash asked. Gary sighed.

"What, you mean pole vault? Ash, do you _really _think you have the coordination to do that?", Gary asked.

"Why not!? It's probably the most interesting thing here, and at least it's better than running in a circle!", Ash said.

"Ash, you have no experience in it, you JUST signed up for track and field this year. The only reason why you made the varsity team is because you're in our age group and there isn't exactly competition to join", Gary said. This of course did nothing to deter Ash.

"You don't know how good I'd be! For all you know, I could be the best in the school at it if I tried!", Ash said with annoyance. His competitive streak was beginning to show. Although Gary wouldn't admit this to him, the main reason why he made the team so easily was because the coaches loved his passion to be the best and have competition. Gary however wouldn't let Ash's pride stop him from laying it to him straight.

"Listen Ash, you may be the top trainer here at the school, and captain of the battling team, but this is an entirely different sport, a sport you have no experience in", Gary said.

"So what? I can't GET the experience if I don't DO it now can I?", Ash asked. The others saw his point. Gary sighed even more, he had to deal with Ash's antics everyday.

"Look, just do your running today, and I'll bring it up to the coach when he gets here, ok?", Gary asked. Ash mumbled to himself, but accepted it. Suddenly, the sound of people running caught everyone's attention. Gary turned around and the others glanced in the same direction as a group of girls ran towards them. It was Misty, May, and Dawn, who were already working on their warm-up laps. They were running side by side along the lanes and keeping in pace with each other. The guys, (Ash and Drew in particular), oogled as they ran past. They wore short shorts, spaghetti-strap shirts, and running sneakers. They turned to the boys and smiled, waving as they went by.

"Hey guys!", Misty said with a smile.

"Have fun with practice!", May added sincerely.

"We'll see you afterwards alright?", Dawn finished as they continued on their way. The boys continued to watch them as they ran past. Brock and Tracy were older than the girls, and they were more like siblings to them than anything. But this did not stop them from "appreciating their beauty". Ash and Drew on the other hand were less subdued. Ash drooled slightly and chuckled, nudging Drew.

"I'll tell you what, exercise wasn't the _only _reason why I joined track", Ash said. Drew blushed at the comment. While he was oogling them just as much as he, Drew at least had the decency to keep it to himself. Gary sighed at Ash's comment. He was a ladies man at the school, and because of this, he had grown to be more mature when it came to women.

"Sheez. Tell you what Ash, you go and tell that to them, I'll bet you you'll get your ENTIRE day's worth of exercise running away from them", Gary said. Brock, Tracy, and Drew laughed at the comment at Ash's expense. Suddenly, the sound of a growl stopped the laughter.

"IS SOMETHING FUNNY GENTLEMAN!?", someone yelled. All five boys jumped up in freight and turned around to see their coach standing behind them. He was a round man, which was odd considering he was a track and field coach. He had a balding head and thick arms and legs. He wore a white polo which, like Gary's, had the school's emblem on it. He also wore basic cargo shorts and sneakers. Also like Gary, he had a stop watch and clipboard.

"Hehe, no coach, nothing funny here", Tracy said nervously. The boy's team had a fear of their coach, who always seemed to be yelling, or at the very least popping out of no where the second they were caught doing something they shouldn't be. He glared at the four boys, and then turned to Gary.

"Well, why aren't they running?", the coach asked in his gruff voice. Gary gulped.

"Uh...right coach", Gary said. He then blew his whistle. "Alright guys, let's get moving", Gary said. The boys started to jog on the turf, but Ash remained. The coach turned to him in confusion.

"Well, what are you waiting for Ketchum? A written invitation?", the coach asked. Ash looked nervous, but stood his ground.

"Uh, coach, I wanted to talk to you about doing the pole vault today?", Ash said. The coach sighed. Ash grew more and more nervous, thinking that he was going to blow a gasket. Which was why he was surprised when the coach shrugged.

"Well, you wanna do pole vault huh?...Fine, we don't really have any Varsity level vaulters anyway...go and grab the stick", the coach said. Ash, genuinely shocked, at first didn't know what to do. However, not wanting to lose this opportunity, he nodded and ran off towards the fence surrounding the track field. Unlike most of the field events, (which took place in the grassy center of the track field), the pole vault spot was located just off the field. Ash reached down and picked up one of the pole vault sticks. Just as he did, he heard another whistle blow. Thinking it was his coach, he looked up and was prepared to take orders. However, he noticed that this was in fact another coach.

The girl's team had just finished their practice run and were not stopping to catch their breath in front of their coach. Unlike the men's team coach, the women's coach was much calmer, and nicer to Ash and the team in general. She was much younger than the men's coach, (though older to the students by quite a bit). She had short brown hair and warm eyes that kind of reminded Ash his friend May. She wore a pink polo and white shorts.

"Alright girls, good exercise!", their coach said.

"Thank you coach!", the girls responded happily. Ash continued to look at the girls, once again getting lost in their...looks.

"WELL KETCHUM!? YOU GONNA VAULT OR YOU GONNA CHECK OUT THE GIRLS ALL DAY!?", the men's coach yelled. Ash, now blushing in embarrassment and shock, fumbled with the pole vault stick as the girls turned and looked over to Ash. Misty, May, and Dawn giggled at Ash's misfortune, which only prompted more embarrassment for Ash. Despite "playing dumb", they knew well enough about Ash's constant "checking out". It was harmless enough, and even Ash's girlfriend Misty didn't seem to mind, probably because May and Dawn were her friends, and Ash was harmless. An idiot, but harmless. The girl's coach giggled and turned to the girls.

"Sounds like Ash is going to try the pole vault, think we should watch and...give him support?", the girl's coach asked. Misty, May, and Dawn giggled and nodded.

"Sounds like fun to me", May said.

"Sure, count me in", Dawn said. Ash watched in horror as the four girls approached the fence dividing the track field from the pole vault location, where his coach was already standing.

"WELL COME ON! JUST REMEMBER TO STICK THE POLE DOWN DIRECTLY WHERE I SHOWED YOU BEFORE GOT IT! USE ALL YOUR MOMENTUM!", the boy's coach said. Ash gulped and nodded.

"G-got it coach!", Ash said. He then moved into place as the girls situated themselves in a good watching position. Ash got into his spot and held his stick up. He looked down the lane and then up to the top of the bar. It looked higher now than it did before. He gulped, but shook it off. He couldn't be nervous, not after begging to do this forever, and especially now that Misty and the other girls were watching. With his pride up, he began the charge.

"Looks like your boyfriend has good form, I think he'll do fine", the girl's coach said to Misty. Misty nodded.

"I'm sure he will be too", Misty said. The girls and coaches watched as Ash sped up and reached the end of the lane. At the right time, Ash thrust the pole down into the ground and jumped, using his momentum and the stick's bend to lift him up high into the air. However, he did not get enough momentum, and so after being lifted in the air, he began to fall backwards. He panicked and yelled as he fell back towards where he ran and landed on the ground in a thud. Misty and the girls gasped as the men's coach face-palmed.

"ASH! ARE YOU OK!?", Misty asked. She was about to run around the fence when Ash, (who was still lying on the ground), slowly gave a thumb's up. Misty sighed in relief. Knowing now that he was alright, the girls giggled at the little mishap.

"Well, he'll get it soon enough, I'm sure", the girl's coach said. As Ash slowly sat up and rubbed the back of his head, he heard the sound of laughter. He turned to see Brock, Tracy, Gary, and Drew on the track turf, laughing once again at his expense.

"LOOKS LIKE YOU MISSED IT BY THAT MUCH ASHY-BOY!", Gary yelled in laughter.

"IT'S OK! JUST ASK MISTY TO KISS IT BETTER!", Brock added. The guys continued to laugh at Ash's failed attempt at the pole vault. This, of course, did not go by unnoticed by their coach. He turned to the turf.

"DID I TELL YOU ALL TO STOP AND CHATTER!? THIS IS VARSITY TRACK GENTLEMAN, THAT MEANS YOU WORK! KEEP RUNNING OR GOD SO HELP ME I'LL MAKE YOU ALL RUN TWO EXTRA MILES!", the coach yelled. The boys panicked and immediately began to run once again. Ash sighed heavily.

He hated track and field.

**And done! A nice little comedy chapter if I do say so myself. :) I decided to do Track and Field because mostly I felt that it would be fitting for more of the characters. I also did Track and Field back when I was in high school, (I was mid-distance running), and HATED it. So I figured I could write out the experiences. Mostly the hatred of the practice in the heat and the hatred of running in general, (Ash was me in this case). Of course, there was the PLUS side of track...hence the girls. XD I know, poor pitiful me, just SUFFERED during track. Anyway, I hope that you all enjoyed the update! I will be sure to get the next chapter of "R" out as soon as I can, hopefully I can get through this writer's block. In the meantime, let's pick the next chapter theme! The next chapter shall be called..."Wet". Sheez, care to guess which certain water-type trainer will be featured in THAT chapter? Oh well. Thank you all for reading this update, I greatly appreciate it! Please be sure to F.A.R., and to check out my Twitter account for updates and news!**

**sincerely,  
evan, a fan of aaml -EVAN AAML**


	24. Wet

**As we head down to the final stretch for "The Alphabet Game: EVAN AAML Style", we'll start to see HOPEFULLY more frequent updates. I had hoped to get this out sooner than I did, but, as usual, delays, delays, delays. Once this story is done, I'll put all focus onto "R", (not that I pretty much don't already. -_-), and try to get it wrapped up as well. Until then, hopefully you'll enjoy these updates! Now then, let's get onto the chapter, "Wet"!**

**-EVAN AAML**

She loved the water.

It was an obvious statement, one that everyone would even laugh at. Of _course _she loved the water! She wouldn't be very good at her job if she didn't! But most people didn't know to what _extent _that love went. The love she had for the water and everything in it went passed everything else.

Well...almost everything.

But the feeling she got when she dove into the water was beyond words. The rush of cold that went through her body as she dove beneath the surface to join her Pokémon friends was breath-taking to say the least. The adrenaline rush seemed to urge her on, deeper, faster. Her Pokémon even urged her on, knowing that if anyone could handle the work, it would be her.

Misty was practicing for yet another mermaid show at the Cerulean Gym. It was nothing to new, it occurred every Friday morning. Before it was more of a hassle, doing work for something her sisters wanted more than she did. But now, it was different. After having returned to her gym leading duties, she felt a resurgence of love for the water. It was like a little girl, having returned to the sea after years away, and the memories of how much she loved it flooding back to her subconscious. Now, having been back for some time, she began to gain more recognition as the fourth Sensational Sister, and more people attended the shows.

But it wasn't the popularity she did this for. True, she felt glad to be able to be recognized as much as her sisters, even more considering she also handled the Pokémon battling at the gym. But she knew, and her sisters knew, the real reason she did the extra work for the show.

It was an excuse, to do more of what she loved.

She popped out of the water, her orange hair let down to her shoulders and beyond. Her hair had grown out since she returned home, which suited her just fine. It was hard for the average person to tread water, even harder when wearing a green leg suit to look like a mermaid. But not for her. Beside her, a few heads began to pop out of the water. Her Corsola, Goldeen, Horsea, and the family Dewgong surrounded her, chanting for her to come back down under the water with them. She giggled, took some deep breaths, and then dove once again beneath the water.

As she swam, she looked around the massive pool that took up the gym. When the show would begin, the pool would be lifted, changing it from an in-ground pool to above-ground. But as of now, it remained in-ground, where it belonged. Her and her sisters did the best they could in order to make the pool a healthy and happy place for their Pokémon. The plants, rocks, sand, it was all real; as it would be in their natural habitats. It also made the pool look much more beautiful.

She continued to move through the water, watching as her Pokémon swam along side her, or played with one another. She smiled at the sight. Misty enjoyed spending time like this with her friends, though this was just as much her time as it was theirs. When she was in the water, she was home.

The feeling of being wet, the feeling of having water rush through your hair, or push against your body, was exhilarating. It felt like an energy rush, like leaning over a cliff that towered over the land, where you were on top of the world. But it was here, underneath the waves, where she felt like she was on top of the world. To her, this was her special spot. It was quiet, peaceful. Underwater, it was as if time stopped. It could not touch her here. Everything moved slower, everything seemed like it moved at a pace unlike above. It was an odd feeling to most, seeing everything move in the water so carelessly while you pushed yourself to the limits just to match it.

But Misty could match this. She did so with so little thought, it was instinct to her. This was her home, this was where she belonged.

She swam over to her largest, (and some could argue, now her most friendly) Pokémon, Gyarados. It smiled upon seeing its trainer, and immediately knew what to do. They had added some new tricks to the show with their new Pokémon, and this one was one of their best. Misty swam and positioned herself on top of Gyarados' head, sitting like a mermaid would. She then looked up and smiled, she loved what was about to happen.

With tremendous force, Gyarados swam directly above, speeding to the surface. Even Misty found it difficult to keep her eyes open as this happened. But she forced them to remain so. She wouldn't dare miss this. Soon, Gyarados breached the surface, sending Misty flying into the air. She laughed as she spun, looking around and seeing the droplets of water dance with her in mid-air. The water seemed to enjoy the free fall, changing forms that seemed to match Misty's happy emotions. Her heart raced in a way that could not be matched. As she felt herself falling back down to the water, she took another deep breath, and spun herself down into a perfect dive. The height of the dive allowed her to effortlessly reach the bottom of the pool, where her Pokémon waited.

She smiled as she looked at her friends, who applauded her work. Misty jokingly took her bows. She then decided to take laps around the walls of the pool, looking through, like looking at an entirely different planet, something unfamiliar to her. She was so comfortable in the water, that the surface world felt alien to her. As she swam around, looking through the glass that surrounded the lower level of the gym, (this was where visitors could see the different Pokémon during Aquarium hours), she placed her hand on the glass. It was cold, and felt odd to the touch.

She swam along the glass, looking through. It was too early for people to be here, so she was not expecting to see anyone through the glass. However, after a minute or two, she soon spotted someone, her sisters. When Misty practiced in the water, her sisters tended to the gym itself. They cleaned up, made the place presentable for the many spectators that would soon fill their seats. It was work Misty would sooner avoid. However, this time, they weren't cleaning. Instead, they waited for her by the glass. They knew that she would eventually see her. Misty stopped in front of the glass, placing her palm against it and smiling. The Pokémon swam around, saying hi to their family through the glass. The girls waved back to the Pokémon, but then brought their attention to Misty.

Their smile was different than normal, something about it seemed suspicious. Not in a way that scared Misty, like they would if they had pulled a prank, but rather like they knew something she didn't. She looked at them curiously. The eldest sister smiled and pointed up, directing to the surface. Misty looked up as well, (though from her position, she could not see the surface very clearly). Her other two sisters ushered her to move on. She put two and two together, and gasped. The girls smiled when they saw that she caught on, and nodded. Misty's heart raced once more, feeling another resurgence of emotion.

But this was not from the water.

She immediately swam out away from the glass until she could see the surface of the water along the edge. Like her sisters had pointed out, she could make out something on the surface, as if leaning over the pool's edge, looking in. How funny it felt to her, two people looking at each other through the water, like two people in opposite worlds, gazing at the wonder of each other's home. Misty smiled and immediately swam to the surface, and the figure, as fast as she could. Her heart raced to levels she could not begin to put to words. It gave her more energy, a boost that was more than enough to propel her out of her world and into the next.

The figure seemed to be able to see what was going on under the water, as it moved closer in. With all the force she could muster, Misty popped out of the water.

And immediately kissed the figure on the lips.

The figure, a male with raven colored hair and chocolate-brown eyes, accepted, and returned the kiss in full. He prepared for just that. The two shared their kiss for a good minute or so, having not seen each other in quite some time. Misty's Pokémon looked at the scene before them, smiled at one another, and dove back under the water, giving their trainer some private time.

Misty's "tail" bat up in the air, splashing water with it. Like an animal that was excited, it seemed to move faster the longer the kiss lasted. She couldn't help but giggle into the kiss, as did the male. Eventually, she released the man and looked into his eyes lovingly. Her love, Ash Ketchum, whom was the only other thing that could match her love for the water. Ash wore just a black t-shirt and jeans, having removed his hat, sneakers, and jacket around the pool. The two smiled as they looked at each other, their hearts racing and their blood pumping.

Eventually, Misty grew another smile, one mixed with genuine joy and mischief. She wrapped her arms around Ash's neck, giving him another, even more passionate kiss, but all while pulling him into the water with her. Pulling her fiancé into her own world. So that she could enjoy both of her loves together. He didn't seem to mind being wet, as he laughed and swam to the center of the pool with Misty. There, the two wrapped their arms around each other, sharing yet another kiss that took their breath away.

Not unlike the water did.

**Look at that! It only took me a little less than an hour and a half to write that! Not a record, but impressive none the less! :) I personally LOVED this chapter. I felt that it had some good symbolism, not unlike the chapter "Snow". But it also gave some emotion, something that I love writing about. No words were spoken, because none needed to be. ;) Alright, allow me to pick the theme for the next chapter! And the chapter shall be called..."X-Ray". Well, that was NOT surprising in the least. The dictionary I used only had about 7 words under "X" anyway! :P Alright, thank you all for reading, I hope you enjoyed the frequent updates these past few days! Please be sure to F.A.R., and to check out my Twitter for updates! Goodbye everyone!**

**sincerely,  
evan, a fan of aaml -EVAN AAML**


	25. X-Ray

**Well another day, another update to "The Alphabet Game"! As usual, it took me FOREVER to get it up, and I apologize for that...as usual. I've been more than busy as of late, and it's distracted me quite a bit. Hopefully when school ends I'll be more free to work on updates and such. Before I begin here, I'd like to mention a little something one of my frequent readers, KrazyKat101, mentioned to me that she hoped the next chapter to this story would have been "Xylophone", and not "X-Ray"; and thought that a good idea for a story would have been Pikachu and Togepi playing on one. While I cannot change my story idea at this point, I did think it was a cute chapter. SOOOO, I think all of you should tell KrazyKat101 to write the story! She'll say she can't write, ignore that, she just doesn't want to do it. ;) Anywho, let's get into "X-Ray"!**

**-EVAN AAML**

Brock swung himself over and slid across the floor in his wheeled chair, moving a couple of feet before reaching the control panel. He flipped a single switch and a machine turned on, buzzing quietly, despite its large size. He turned around, facing someone.

"Alright, it'll just take a few seconds, then we'll get an idea of how your leg looks like, alright Ash?", Brock explained. Ash, who sat on a cushioned table, his right leg revealed and sticking through a hole in the machine Brock turned on, nodded. The machine flashed lights around his leg, taking images of his leg bones.

"Thanks again for this Brock, I appreciate you seeing me on such short notice", Ash said. Brock smirked.

"Well, what are friends for? Not exactly E.R. material, but we're not that busy today. Now normally I wouldn't bill you for a visit, but unfortunately we have strict rules about payments for using the X-Ray", Brock explained, feeling guilty. He didn't like having to bill Ash, especially given their close friendship. Ash shook it off with a smile.

"Nah, it's fine. I wouldn't want you to get in trouble, and it's not like I can't afford it", Ash explained. Brock chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess participating in as many Pokémon battles as you doesn't need to worry about a single bill huh?", Brock said. The two shared a laugh. It had been years since the two began traveling together in Kanto. Despite having long stopped traveling, Brock kept in touch with Ash and their other friends they had traveled with, and to this day still hang out together frequently. Since then, Brock had gotten a job as a doctor at a hospital in Pewter City. While this was temporary for the moment, (it was hard for someone who wasn't a Nurse Joy to get a job as a Pokémon doctor, and it often took some time for applications to get through), he was happy and enjoyed his work.

Ash meanwhile had continued his Pokémon battling, having retired from traveling in general. Becoming a professional Pokémon trainer, he was allowed to enter league tournaments without having to collect badges. This allowed him to spend more time with his friends and family, which was something he wasn't going to argue with.

The lights inside the machine turned off, the machine made a few humming noises, and then shut down. Brock spun around in his chair and looked to a computer screen not far from the control panel. After a couple of seconds, the image of Ash's leg and bones showed on the screen. As Brock looked at the screen, Ash pulled his leg out of the machine, removing the heavy lead vest that covered his leg and protected it from the X-Rays of the machine. He left it to the side and swung over, being careful not to hurt his leg anymore.

"Yep, it's definitely broken. Luckily you got to me before it got worse. You'll be in a cast for some time, but you'll recover easy enough. What did you do again?", Brock asked, turning to Ash. Ash looked somewhat nervous, but quickly shook it off.

"I, uh...fell down some stairs", Ash said. Brock raised an eyebrow in skepticism. "What!? You know I'm a klutz! I was in a hurry and wasn't watching where I was going", Ash explained. Brock stared at Ash for a few moments, Ash feeling his nerves getting worse. Eventually however, Brock shrugged.

"Well, I would suggest keeping an eye where you step next time. Especially now while you're recovering. I would suggest avoiding stairs for as long as you can", Brock said. Ash sighed.

"Well guess I'll be sleeping on the couch for some time then huh?", Ash said. Brock snickered.

"Aren't you used to that anyway with Misty living with you?", Brock asked with a laugh.

"HEY!", Ash yelled. Brock burst into laughter at Ash's expense. Since Ash had retired from traveling, he and Misty got to spend a lot more time together. And, as expected, (and to no one's surprise), them being together a lot more often resulted in a resurgence of feelings. This soon led to them dating, which quickly led to them becoming boyfriend and girlfriend. Now, they had been dating for close to two years, and were living with each other in Veridian. This allowed them to be close to their families, while also being close to the Indigo Plateau for Ash's job. Despite their closer relationship, they still retained their unique personalities, which of course meant that they had their...moments. Namely fighting. Despite this though, they did love each other deeply.

"But being serious, you'll need to get that casted, I'll bring in someone to help you with that. We'll lend you some crutches to get around, and you'll need to avoid stairs and a lot of moving in general", Brock explained.

"Sounds simple enough. Luckily there aren't any tournaments coming up, so I can stay home for a bit and relax", Ash said. Brock nodded and stood up, taking his white doctor jacket off of the chair he was sitting on and putting it on.

"If you can just stay here for a moment, I'll go get the nurse to help with your cast. Meanwhile, I'll go tell Misty what's going on. Is she still in the waiting room?", Brock asked. Ash nodded.

"She should be...unless she decided to leave and not tell me", Ash said jokingly. Brock chuckled lightly.

"Right, right. Alright, I'll go get the nurse", Brock said. He opened the door and was about to walk out. But before he left, he turned and looked to Ash. "Oh, and Ash?". Ash looked up from the table curiously, wondering what it was Brock wanted. "...if you want to keep it a secret that Misty did this to you, that's fine. But you can be honest with me. Being your doctor alone gives you patient confidentiality. But I'm also your friend, and wouldn't tell anyone", Brock explained. Ash looked to Brock with a mixture of feelings, mostly shock and worry.

"Wha? But-how!?", Ash asked. Brock couldn't help but smile.

"Ash, I've known you and Misty for years now, I know how you two can get. This isn't the first time she's injured you from one of your fights. I know she doesn't do it purposely, but the injuries she does give you have a pattern", Brock explained. Ash looked to Brock in shock still, but also felt impressed at Brock's capabilities and deductive reasoning.

"...Alright. Sorry I lied to you...Misty felt terribly guilty, and I didn't want her to feel any worse than she already did", Ash explained. Brock nodded, understanding. Despite her temper, Misty was quick to feel guilty for her actions. It wouldn't surprise him if Misty immediately tried to pay for Ash's X-Ray. Ash of course was easy going. He knew she didn't mean to break his leg, and they shared a love that most people couldn't even fathom. It would take a lot more than this to break them apart.

"It's ok. I assumed as much. So what? Did she throw you down the stairs?", Brock asked in a joking manner. Ash chuckled, putting his hand behind the back of his head sheepishly.

"Yeeaahh, well, we were arguing upstairs, and she pushed me. But I was the one that tried to catch himself on the railing by the stairs and slipped", Ash explained. Brock sighed heavily, he should have figured.

"Of course...well, I'll go tell Misty the news. You'll be out of here soon, just take it easy ok?", Brock asked. Ash laughed.

"I make no promises", Ash answered. Brock laughed out loud as he left the room.

He expected nothing less.

**There we go! Short and sweet, such is a one-shot! It's not much, but this was meant for entertainment, not a riveting plot or story like longer stories. Not much else to say here, so allow me to pick out the next word for my second to last chapter for "Y"!..."Yuck". XD Oh goodness. Whelp, I'm thinking that the next chapter will be a comedy, and I'm also thinking it will involve cooking. Sounds good to me! Thank you all for waiting so patiently for updates! Please be sure to F.A.R., and to check out my Twitter account for updates and news. And be sure to send KrazyKat101 messages about writing that story! DON'T LET HER NOT DO IT! :P **

**sincerely,  
evan, a fan of aaml -EVAN AAML**


	26. Yuck

**Hey! Here's a shocker everyone! THIS IS THE SECOND TO LAST CHAPTER OF "The Alphabet Game: EVAN AAML Style"! I've been working on what should have been a relatively quick-to-update story for a few years now! Seems weird to think that it's almost over. But all good things must come to an end I suppose. Also, as a little shout out, fellow author JcPikachu41 is hosting a contest on Twitter, with the prizes being a Shiny Pichu and a Shiny Mewtwo! Contact JcPikachu41 via fanfiction or (preferably) through his Twitter account RemakePkmnYello for information! So let's not delay the inevitable, here's the next update, entitled "Yuck"!**

**-EVAN AAML**

She was doing it again. You'd think she would have learned by now...but no. Nothing can get through that thick skull of hers. It would be easier to teach a Muk the importance of personal hygiene than it would be to get her to give up on something she CLEARLY was never meant to do.

May...was cooking.

Granted, this wasn't exactly for _her_, or even her friends. No, this was for her Pokémon. Which, despite this, she still wanted to test out first...on her friends. While Drew was all fine with the idea of helping May, it would be easier on him if giving an opinion was allowed. If Drew said it needed work, he would get a smack to the back of the head. If he lied and said it was great, and her Pokémon hated it, he would get a smack to the back of the head. If he tried to say nothing, so as to avoid getting a smack to the back of the head, then May would think he was upset and worry...only to realize why he was quiet, and give him a smack to the back of the head.

There was no such thing as winning an argument against May.

Still, Drew knew that he had to help her. After all, it seemed inhumane to allow her Pokémon to go through the horrors of her cooking. To be fair, Poffins were harder to cook than Pokéblocks. Pokéblocks required mostly just common knowledge of berries and how to use a relatively simple machine, whereas Poffins required knowledge of actual cooking. But May struggled for some time just to make Pokéblocks, who knew how long it'd take to master these.

Dawn had introduced the idea of Poffins to May when she last visited. May had seen some of the foreign competitors in the contests use them, and was naturally curious. While Dawn gave her a basic understanding of how to make them, she let May experiment for herself so as to learn...which turned out to be a mistake. But now Dawn wasn't here, and here May was, trying to make something for her Pokémon, but instead unintentionally poisoning them, and anyone foolish to test her cooking...namely Drew.

May was at the stove, stirring a concoction of which Drew could only picture being realistically used in biological warfare. The consistency of the liquid was thick, so thick in fact, that May struggled just to stir with the large wooden spoon. The sound of the bubbles making their way through the thick brew only to pop upon reaching the surface was sickening, and reminded Drew of the lava pools near Lavaridge Town. Surprisingly, it did not smell too bad, which had a lot to do with the berries mixed into the pot. May's knowledge of berries due to her Pokéblock making helped here.

May stopped stirring for a moment to wipe her brow, grabbing a small hand towel she kept on the counter beside her to do so. Of course, simply keeping the towel on the counter was a safety hazard, as the flames from the stove could easily reach it. May's mentality was, the hotter the pan, the quicker the Poffins are finished.

A wealth of wisdom she was.

Drew watched from the safety of the kitchen doorway, as if he was a criminal on death row, watching as prison guards prepared the electric chair for his execution. Something he would rather go through than this. He kept reminding himself why he volunteered to test May's cooking, despite knowing the outcome every single time. Then he remembered, it was because he was crushing on her...badly. And while he had a suspicion that May felt the same for him, it helped to earn some "brownie points" once in awhile.

May placed the towel back onto the counter and looked over to Drew, who leaned against the doorway quietly. She couldn't help but smile at the sight. He looked so quiet, (he looked cute as well, but she couldn't think about that now). She could tell that he was hiding his excitement to try her recipe. She had a feeling about this one. Yes, this time...this time, it would be right. She giggled.

"You look excited!", May said. Drew looked to May with a sweatdrop. He chuckled nervously.

"Uh, h-how could you tell?", Drew asked.

"Well you've been standing there the entire time I've been cooking, you must not be able to wait to try this recipe!", May explained.

"Uhm...yep, you got me. Can't wait!", Drew said, barely able to contain himself. May seemed to have forgotten that the last time he left her alone to "cook", her mix caught on fire and set off the fire alarms and sprinklers. And the time before that, she somehow managed to cause the Poffin mix to expand so much that it popped and covered the entire kitchen. He's still trying to figure out how she managed that one. But she allowed May to think what she wanted, after all, why upset her? She was happy, and he liked it when she was happy.

"Well don't you worry, this mix is almost done! Just have to bake it and then it'll be testing time!", May exclaimed. Drew sighed.

"Oh boy!", Drew said with the slightest hint of sarcasm. Luckily, May was too distracted to notice...she was also too distracted to notice the trail of smoke coming from the pot. "Uh, May?", Drew said, pointing to the pot. May snapped out of her trance and turned to the pot, which began to bubble even more than before. She gasped and immediately began stirring at the speed of light.

"DON'T BURN DON'T BURN DON'T BURN!", May prayed to herself. Drew knew he didn't know everything about cooking, (though his ego would make him say otherwise when asked), but even he knew that there was a better way to fix this problem.

"May...don't you think you should turn down the heat?", Drew asked, trying with all his might to restrain himself from dragging May out of the kitchen for good. May looked at Drew for a moment, then to the stove. She giggled to herself.

"Oh! Duh, of course!", May said. She turned the heat down and the smoke immediately disappeared. The bubbling all but stopped and she sighed in relief. "Thanks Drew! Wouldn't want to ruin this mix now would we?".

Drew mentally kicked himself for not taking advantage of that rare opportunity.

May looked over the mixture in the pot for a moment or two and then smiled. That was never a good sign. Not in the kitchen anyway. In contests, it was good, great even. It meant she had a plan, and it usually pulled through. When they were hanging out it was great. It meant she was having a genuinely good time; which in turn made Drew happy. But when she smiled in the kitchen, it only led to problems.

"I think it's perfect! Now we just have to bake!", May said. Drew watched as May carefully poured the mix into the Poffin pans. "Poured" was used loosely here, as the Poffin mix was so thick that she needed to scoop it out into the pans one spoonful at a time. Drew was able to relax here. Out of all the issues May had in the kitchen, this was the one part she was able to manage without a problem. Drew found it odd really, May could actually bake relatively well. Her cupcakes and tarts were amazing, and Drew honestly thought he might have an addiction to May's scones. This meant that she was also able to handle an oven with ease too. But when what you put in the oven is terrible, baking it doesn't usually make matters better.

When the concoction was placed in the Poffin pans, she placed them in the oven, and closed the door. She smiled to herself and wiped more sweat off her face with the towel.

"Perfect! A few minutes, and they'll be ready to eat! I can't wait to see what you think of them!", May said turning to Drew with a smile. Drew gulped nervously. How to go through this without getting a smack to the head and getting May upset? Saying it's bad right off the bat won't work, as that's always the fastest way to get hit. If it was at least physically possible to eat it, then he could fake liking it. But that would only prolong the inevitable. She would then immediately let one of her Pokémon try, and that would be it. Maybe he could quickly leave after trying it? Fake that he forgot something he had to do and get out of there? May would believe him, he would have no reason to lie about something like that to her. But it'd only work once, then May would know he was lying and never trust him again.

But it was worth it.

The two stayed in the kitchen during the baking process. They talked about coordinating and what they'd do later. May had decided that they'd head down to the new museum that opened up in town. Luckily, Drew managed to suggest doing it in the afternoon, so that he'd have enough time to make his excuse believable. Then, the time came.

The oven made a ding noise, alerting May and Drew that it had finished. May excitedly grabbed oven mitts and opened the oven. She examined the pans to see how the Poffin mix looked. It didn't smell bad, and by the looks of May's facial expressions, it didn't look bad either. She pulled the pans out and placed them onto the stove top. Drew slowly approached the oven as May began putting the utensils and leftover ingredients away. The Poffins looked normal, but looks, as Drew learned time and time again, were deceiving.

It wasn't uncommon for May to screw up so badly that they looked inedible, Drew actually preferred it that way. It meant that May would know they were bad, and not force Drew into the torture of trying them. It was when they looked normal that Drew grew worried. Then he'd HAVE to try them, and suffer for it. When they had cooled down some, May carefully popped the Poffins out of the pan and laid them out carefully on a plate. With as much excitement as a little kid on Christmas, May gingerly picked up one of the Poffins and handed it to Drew.

"Here you go! Tell me what you think!", May said. Drew took the Poffin slowly, and while he was smiling on the outside, inside he was screaming in fear. He looked at the Poffin. Leave it to May to ruin his opinion on a little Pokémon treat. He refused to even make them for his Pokémon now, (though he knew he could), after these little taste testings; instead keeping to his Pokéblocks like most of the locals.

The Poffin looked harmless enough, a very light golden brown with a smell of berry. Each time she made a Poffin that looked normal, Drew would tell himself, "Well maybe this time she actually did it. Maybe she actually made a good Poffin". False hope he knew, but it became habit at this point. He then looked up to May. She looked at him, her eyes glistening in anticipation. He sweatdropped. How could he refuse to eat it with that face? May was too cute for her own good. Slowly, and with his heart racing, he brought the Poffin to his mouth, and took a bite.

...no words.

Not a lot of people wonder what Rattata repellent is made of. It's poison, it doesn't matter what it's made of, it's meant to keep pests away. Well, for those who were curious, Drew solved the mystery. These Poffins. They MUST be poison, there's no other explanation. As Drew tried his best to choke down the Poffin, thinking to himself what his funeral will probably be like when he inevitably dies of food poisoning, he wondered if May actually did this awful cooking on purpose. If this was some elaborate plan of hers to murder him. He didn't know what he did to deserve such a death, he was always a gentleman to her. Maybe a sarcastic comment or little joking insult here or there, but overall he was nice.

But clearly he crossed some line where May decided that death, (and a slow, painful one at that), was the only solution. Making such amazing scones and baked goods seemed like a cruel trick now, as it lulled him into a false sense of security thinking she could cook. But no, this couldn't be the case, it couldn't be a murder attempt. Because she would also have her Pokémon try them. She loved her Pokémon to death, there's no way she'd kill them. So this was just her cooking. She was just THAT bad.

May looked on, waiting for a reaction she could read. Despite Drew's internal suffering, he managed to pull a genuine poker face, one that May could not read. Did he like it? Did he hate it? She didn't know. Eventually, Drew managed to swallow the bit in his mouth and made a painful smile.

"N-not...not bad!", Drew said. He looked at May, hoping she would buy it, hoping he did enough. There was a moment of silence, and Drew thought that he might break.

"...REALLY!?", May asked, looking as excited as ever. Drew sighed, he nailed it.

"Y-yeah! Not bad at all!", Drew said. He placed the remains of the Poffin down on the counter next to him and immediately pulled out his wrist watch. This was his chance to escape. "Uh oh! I forgot, there's an errand I have to run real quick. I better go and", before he could finish, May stopped him.

"NO WAIT! NOT UNTIL SOMEONE ELSE TRIES IT!", May said. Drew froze in terror. He didn't count on this. He didn't plan for May to be so excited that she made a good Poffin mix that she'd immediately test it on another poor soul. "Unfortunately, my mom took most of my Pokémon to the park with Max. The only one here with me is Munchlax".

And just like that, the Heaven's opened.

"S-sure! I know Munchlax will love them!", Drew said. Drew was now safe. For some reason unbeknownst to him or probably anyone, Munchlax LIKED May's cooking. Or rather, he liked any food regardless. It was the only Pokémon that would actually eat May's Poffins, no matter how bad they were. And with it being the only one here, Drew knew that he'd get out of this injury-free.

That was, until there was a knock at the door.

Neither Drew nor May anticipated company, and were somewhat shocked to hear the knocking. They both turned to the door, which was just outside the kitchen and to the right.

"May! It's Ash and Brock!", someone called out. Drew froze once again. Why him? What did he ever do to deserve such torment? Arceus must be testing him for something to do this to him. May grew a wide smile at the pleasant surprised.

"Hey guys! Come on in!", May yelled. The two of them could hear the apartment door open and soon enough, Ash and Brock entered the kitchen. They were visiting Hoenn for vacation, and decided to see May and Max while there. "You're just in time! You can try my new Poffins! Drew says they're pretty good, tell me what you think!".

And like that, Drew's hopes of getting out of this mess went up in smoke. Ash and Brock knew that May had trouble making Pokéblocks when she first learned of them, but she eventually got a hang of that, and so figured her Poffin making was just as good. They had no idea that they were about to eat death.

"Sure! No problem!", Ash said. He knew that it was Pokémon food, but Ash wasn't one to pass up food of any kind.

"I might be able to use the recipe for my Pokémon!", Brock stated. May held out the plate and the two each grabbed a Poffin. As Drew watched them, something suddenly seemed to click. Maybe he could get away after all. Ash was not one to shy away from saying what was on his mind, whether it was what you wanted to hear or not. He would bluntly tell May that the Puffins were terrible and not show any remorse. While Brock was a lot more reserved, if he felt that the health of a Pokémon was on the line, (which, with May's Poffins, it most certainly was), then he'd have to speak up. May would definitely be mad at Drew for lying, but maybe, just maybe, she would be so distracted in beating Ash and Brock senseless that he could slip out unnoticed.

He could only hope as the two took a bite.

Immediately, Ash's eyes grew wide and he spat out the Poffin in what even Drew will admit was an over-dramatized manner. Brock tried his best to hold it in, but the struggle and pain was more than evident. Drew couldn't help but look at May, though he wished he hadn't. Seeing her go from super excited to completely confused and hurt was almost unbearable. Ash threw the Poffin onto the counter and wiped away what was left on his tongue.

"YUCK!", Ash yelled. Brock by this point could not hold it in any longer, and began coughing heavily, putting the Poffin down and rushing to the sink for a drink. Drew smirked. There was no way May wouldn't smack them silly. "THAT WAS A POFFIN!? THAT WAS TERRIBLE!", Ash continued. Drew tried to hold in the laughter. Ash would receive the worst end of the beatings. He was so blunt about it, so rude.

Which was what made it all the more shocking, when May gave Drew a hard smack to the back of the head.

Drew nearly fell over from the hit and yelled out in pain, covering his head and turning to an annoyed May. Ash looked at the incident in some shock, though recalling that May said Drew "liked them", he knew why she was so upset. Brock had missed the smack, as he was too busy guzzling down water to remove the taste of the Poffin from his mouth and throat.

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?", Drew asked. It was a dumb question really. He knew why she did it, but he let the shock of the hit get the better of him.

"YOU LIED ABOUT THE POFFINS!", May said angrily.

"BUT ASH SAID THEY WERE TERRIBLE!", Drew said, trying to shift the blame.

AT LEAST HE WAS HONEST! I'D RATHER YOU BE HONEST THAN TO LIE TO ME!", May exclaimed. Drew growled and mumbled to himself. He couldn't win! The second May decided to cook Poffins, he automatically lost. There was no escaping the smack, no escaping her anger, no escaping the wrath of May.

He had to remind himself once again that this was all for love. All for love.

**Ok, I have to admit, I think this was one of the funniest things I've written. I know it's a bit egotistical to pat myself on the back like this, but I honestly loved how this came out. Longer than most of my one-shots here, but I think it was worth it. And I NEEDED to get something out after not posting anything last month. I apologize for the wait everyone! Anyways, please be sure to F.A.R., and to check out my Twitter account for news and updates! The next and final chapter of "The Alphabet Game: EVAN AAML Style" will be entitled..."Zipper"! Huh, I'll admit, I thought for sure it'd be "Zoo". But it's random for a reason! Alright, the next chapter shall mark the end of this story! As a final note, next chapter will not only be the last for "The Alphabet Game", but it will also be where I will make what I would like to think is a PRETTY big announcement! ;) So stay tuned for that! And I will see you all next time!**

**sincerely,  
evan, a fan of aaml -EVAN AAML**


	27. Zipper

**Well, here it is ladies and gentleman. After years of writing and having severely postponed updates, it's time for "The Alphabet Game: EVAN AAML Style" to come to a close. It's been one heck of a ride, I'll admit. Challenging myself to writing a completely on-the-spot one-shot based upon a single random word took a lot of work, and while the updates were terribly slow, I still feel as though as I've accomplished something great. I thank you all for sticking by me with this story, for better or worse. I also ask that this "game" be spread around more. "The Alphabet Game" was a real writing challenge years ago. Back when I started writing stories, people would write a series of one-shots on a theme, much like I did here for Pokémon. However, the game died down over the years, and I hoped to resurrect it. So if you're looking to come up with a story, why not try your own Alphabet Game? I'm sure you won't regret it. :) **

**Also, one last note before we get on with the final chapter. As I stated in the previous chapter, I have some, (what I consider), important news to announce regarding future stories. I will tell you the news at the end of the chapter! Here is the final chapter of "The Alphabet Game: EVAN AAML Style", "Zipper". **

**-EVAN AAML**

"It's stuck".

"Just tug on it, it shouldn't be that hard".

"Tugging on it is just making it worse, it'll tear the fabric holding it together".

"Then don't worry about it, leave it open if it doesn't want to zip up".

Ash looked up to Misty, who was packing various items on the bed in her backpack. Despite the years it's been since she had done this, it was still second nature to her to pack for a long trip. Ash continued to hold together the two ends of his jacket in his hands, playing with the zipper in his right hand.

"I can't just leave it open, it's chilly out! I can't risk getting sick when we just start our next journey!", Ash explained. He then tried to zip the jacket once again, only for the zipper to once again get caught on the jacket. He sighed in frustration, which prompted a sigh from Misty.

"Ash, it's not that cold out. It's only September, and since when did the cold bother you anyway?", Misty asked, stopping her packing for just a moment to look at Ash for a response.

"Since I decided that I don't want to start off this journey with a cold! I don't want _anything _slowing me down this time!", Ash replied. Misty thought it was funny that Ash, who LITERALLY came back from death itself and shook it off, was concerned over a cold. However, she felt that he was being paranoid, and since they were already late, she didn't want to waste more time on something so foolish.

"Ash, I'm telling you, it's not that cold out. Don't worry about the zipper and finish packing", Misty said. Ash, still holding onto his jacket ends, rolled his eyes. He released the zipper and walked to the window at the other end of the bedroom. With one swift move, he slide the window open. No sooner did he do this than the wind burst into the room. Small items all over the room shook from the force of the wind and Misty immediately covered herself from the sudden cold breeze. Ash left the window open for a couple more seconds before sliding the window closed and looking at Misty with a look of content. Misty shivered for a few seconds, and then sighed.

"Ok, fine, it's cold out", Misty admitted, rubbing her arms to try to get warm. "But you're still wasting time working on a zipper when you could be packing up".

"Mist...I'm _done _packing, I have nothing left to do but this zipper", Ash said. Misty turned to Ash in shock.

"What!? How could you already be done!?", Misty asked. In all her years of knowing Ash, she had never once recalled a moment where he had packed before everyone else. He always did it at the last second and often screwed up the packing in the process.

"I did it last night, why do you think I never bothered to pull out my bag?", Ash said. He walked over to the side of his dresser and lifted up a backpack. He opened it up and placed it on the bed next to Misty, who immediately began looking through his bag. "I even managed to do some extra packing for Pikachu, his stuff is in a little container downstairs".

Misty made certain not to make a mess of what Ash had packed, but looked intently to see if he indeed "packed". His clothes were folded neatly, his food stashed away separately, his traveling equipment was tucked away properly, yes Ash in fact had packed, and packed well. Misty was stunned over the idea of it. Something so simple, yet so shocking considering it went against Ash's character. He always did things impulsively, working on what appeared to be basic instinct instead of early preparation. So why now did he decide to do everything early? She turned around to see Ash, once again fumbling with his zipper.

"How...?", Misty asked, just slightly above a whisper. Ash was not certain if she was asking him outright, or if she was more thinking aloud to herself, but he heard her regardless.

"I wanted to make sure I was ready for this journey Mist, it's important I'm no less than one hundred percent prepared", Ash explained.

"Wha...why? I don't understand", Misty said. Over the years, Ash had been on countless journeys spanning over thousands of miles and hundreds of cities. And while he was excited for each and every one, he never treated them any differently from one another. So why did this trip make that much more of a difference? Ash stopped messing with his zipper for a moment and looked to Misty with a smile.

"Mist...this could be the last journey I ever do", Ash said. Misty looked at Ash wide-eyed; stunned at the words that Ash was saying. Since when did Ash have the belief that this could be his last journey? And for what reason? He never mentioned anything about it before to her, so why all of a sudden did he feel this way? "I've been traveling for a long time Mist...and during that time I've met more friends and seen more places than I could possibly count. I've...experienced things...that most people could only dream about". Ash said this looking away, as if reflecting upon his past travels. Misty continued to look at him, not wanting him to stop.

"And while I would love to keep doing this forever, I know that, deep down, that's probably not going to happen. Before I know it, I'll begin to forget things I've done, and people I've met. I don't want to do this, but it happens all the same. I have other dreams, other things I want to do, besides Pokémon training", Ash explained. Misty was beginning to feel more and more concerned. Ash was not acting himself, and she began to wonder if he was alright. Ash always made it out to believe that he would be training forever, that he'd die being a Pokémon trainer, and not regret it for a second. While she always believed that to be somewhat exaggerated, she never thought that Ash would actually think about retirement when he was still so young.

"I want to be able to...to, you know...have a family. I want to find someone...who I want to spend my life with, and settle down. I want to have kids, and I want to be able to raise them right. I have all of my Pokémon, countless friends, and of course my traveling family, and I'm forever grateful and blessed to have you all in my life...but I want to be able to...I don't know...create dreams for my kids one day...you know what I mean?", Ash asked.

There was a minute of silence in the room. The wind outside could not distract the two from the conversation that was unfolding. Misty did nothing but stare at Ash for what he felt was forever. He began to grow more nervous over the silence, thinking to himself that perhaps he had said something that upset her, or even scared her. Had he implied something to her? All of these concerns grew worse when suddenly, Misty began to get teary eyed. Ash gasped slightly as Misty lifted her hand to wipe away stray tears from her eyes.

"I...I missed...so much", Misty said finally. Ash's heart dropped in his chest. He had no intention to imply anything of the sort to her. He rushed over to her and held her close, trying to comfort her.

"No Mist! I didn't mean that!", Ash explained. "Traveling with you were some of the best days of my life, I didn't mean to make you feel bad for having to leave. You had duties at the gym, you needed to be there, it's not your fault!".

"No, Ash...you don't understand", Misty said. Ash looked down to Misty as she looked up to him. He had grown taller than her over the years, (though only slightly). "I'm not upset because I missed experiencing those adventures with you...I'm upset...because I missed seeing you...grow into the mature adult you are now". Ash continued to stare at her, both stunned and flustered. "I'm not putting blame on anyone for me having to leave...but...we practically grew up together. We were just, two little kids, fighting over a stupid bike. But...we-we became more than that...we became, best friends. But, when I left, I didn't realize that, that'd be the last time I ever see that immature, brash little boy".

Once again, that nervous silence entered the room. The two just stared at each other, neither one of them making a noise. They seemed to have forgotten that they were wrapped in each other's arms, as they were lost in each other's eyes. This time, it was Ash to break the silence. Unlike Misty however, he did so not with teardrops, but with a chuckle. Misty nearly glared at the boy; it was as if he did not take her heart-felt explanation seriously.

"Misty...if that's what you were worried about...then you really didn't miss much", Ash said. Misty raised an eyebrow in confusion. He made a cheeky grin. "I really haven't matured as much as you think I have. Sure, I've realized some things over the years, things that, to this day, I'm kicking myself for not realizing when I was younger...but I am still that "_immature, brash little boy_", you saw leaving for Cerulean City. The reason why I'm preparing for this journey isn't just because I want to experience other things with my life...it's because this journey means a lot more to me".

Ash then released Misty and took a couple steps back, once again going for the zipper on his jacket. Misty was less concerned about his wasted time with his jacket however, and more concerned over what made this trip different than the others.

"Why is this trip so much different?", Misty asked. Ash smiled.

"Because...you're coming with me this time. I want to make sure it's perfect", Ash said. Misty's heart immediately began racing in her chest, which Ash could sense from her reddened face. He then looked back down to his zipper. "Which is why, (mph!), I want to get this zipper done, I want to make sure I don't get sick for our journey together".

Ash could hear Misty approaching him, and assumed she was finally giving in and helping him with his zipper. He held out the two ends of the jacket towards her, and had just enough time to raise his head before he found himself being kissed on the lips by Misty. He dropped the two ends of his jacket in shock and just stood there as Misty pressed her lips against his. He felt the heat in his face and suddenly felt weak at the knees as Misty slowly pulled away from Ash and looked lovingly into his eyes.

"That is...the most romantic thing...I've ever heard Ash Ketchum", Misty said softly. Ash looked at Misty's genuine smile and eyes of joy and could not help but feel enthralled at the moment. He smiled and held up the two ends of his zipper towards her.

"So then...does that mean you'll help me with this zipper?", Ash asked. Misty smiled and grabbed onto the two ends of his jacket. Without much effort at all, she managed to connect the two ends with the zipper, and zip up the jacket mid-way up his chest. He smiled and adjusted it accordingly for himself, then looked at Misty. "Thanks Mist". She smiled in response. Ash then leaned forward and grasped her hand in his. He led her to the bed, where he grabbed his bag, then looked at Misty's.

"Are you done packing?", Ash asked. Misty smiled.

"Pretty much", Misty replied. Ash smiled.

"Good. Let's get going then", Ash said. He quickly placed what remained of her things into her bag and handed it to her. She giggled at his impatience, perhaps he hadn't changed as much as she thought after all. "I don't know what my life has in store for me Misty...but as long as I'm with you...it doesn't matter". Misty blushed as Ash leaned over and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. When he finished, he checked over the zipper one more time and smirked. "It's an amazing world out there Mist...let's go exploring!".

**And with that, I am now officially finished. I'll be honest and say that this story came off more rushed than I had originally intended, though I think I still got the message I wanted to across. To be fair, the final lines came as a dedication to my all-time favorite comic strip: Calvin & Hobbes. I want to thank you all for standing by me all this time and for being patient with me when I was slow. This update came late because my laptop's battery is dying, and it's hard for me to find a replacement for it. I write a little bit here and there for hear the battery will die and my work will be deleted. Anyway, you don't care about that, you want the news I promised you! Well, with this story officially over, and "R" nearing completion as well, you may be asking, what is my next project going to be? Well, I have SEVERAL ideas in store, a few of them entirely new ideas, and I hope that all of them will be just as entertaining as these stories were. I even have not one, but two special projects in the works with another author! (though these will be out much later). I won't tell you immediately what my next story will be, but I WILL say that it will DEFINITELY be a sequel! So keep an eye out for it sometime in the future! Until next time, this is EVAN AAML, signing off! **

**sincerely,  
evan, a fan of aaml -EVAN AAML**


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